Surprise Destination
by xELinneax
Summary: Damon takes Elena away to a surprise destination. They're having a great time until Stefan ruins it. Will they convince Stefan to let go? Or will they be forced to take things into their own hands? - Set sometime in season 4; no sire bond! - R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**A****/N: Hey! This is my very first fanfic, so sorry if it's terrible! Reviews are appreciated.**

**By the way, I'm not so great at synonyms so excuse my small words. I'll try to be as descriptive as I can. Enjoy! :)**

**Disclaimer: The Vampire Diaries belong to L.J. Smith and the CW.**

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Chapter 1:

**Elena's P.O.V**

_Dear Diary,_

_Today Damon is taking me away. No, not like that, just... away from Mystic Falls. He said the destination is a surprise and insisted on keeping it a secret from Stefan, but I told him anyway. I just wanted him to know we were going to be gone for a while, so he doesn't flip out and go searching for us. I have no clue what Stefan's going to do though while we're gone. He seemed distant when I last saw him... like something was bothering him. __Anyway, I'm really excited to finally have some time alone with Damon. I just get this... feeling when I'm with him. He makes me feel complete and amazing every time he's near me. Plus we have this kind of passion; a fire that I never truly felt with Stefan. I'm completely convinced that Damon is __the__ guy, wait scratch that... the __man__ for me. I won't ever find the same connection with anyone else but Damon. He is my other half; my twin flame...  
__I should go now, I got to pack and I need a shower before Damon arrives to pick me up.  
__Bye for now, updates later._

_Elena _

I read over my entry once more, smiling to myself as I thought about what Damon had planned for us. I closed the small leather book before placing it gently in my duffle bag that was on the edge of my bed. I was about to pick out some clothes in my closet for after my shower when my ears perked at the noise from downstairs.

"Shhh Bonnie! She's gonna hear us!"

"Sorry, my bad."

I giggled and called out to the hushed voices.

"You know, I can hear you! Vampire now, remember?" I smiled and opened my closet, looking through shirts, sweaters and jeans. Suddenly my bedroom door opened. I peeked around my closet door to find Caroline and Bonnie walking in with their hands behind their backs.

"Sorry," Bonnie immediately started, "I tripped on the mat downstairs! It wasn't my fault." She pouted as she crossed her arms.

"I totally thought you'd be better at the whole 'stealth-mode' thing than I was..." Caroline giggled and practically skipped over to where I was standing. I was about to open my mouth to speak but was cut off.

"So, you're going away with _Damon_, are ya? Sounds like fun!" She wiggled her eyebrows and laughed when I didn't reply but instead just stood there smiling, to myself mostly, since all I could think about was Damon. My thoughts were suddenly interrupted when Bonnie cleared her throat.

"Oh, sorry. What's up guys?" I asked, coming back to reality.

"Well... Care and I knew that you'd be going away this week with Damon, so..." Bonnie revealed a shiny golden box from behind her back, wrapped with shiny black ribbon, tied into a bow at the top. "I thought we could get you a little something for later!" She handed the box to me, winking.

I raised my eyebrows, imagining what they could have possibly gotten me now. I slowly unwrapped the bow, and took the lid off the box. I gasped as I pulled out a silky, seductive, _expensive_ lingerie set. A black-laced, blood-red bra, with matching panties.

"Oh my God! How much did this even cost?" I asked with a shocked expression.

"Not too much," Caroline answered. "Only a few hundred dollars," she then added.

"Woah, Care!"

"I helped her pay for it!" Bonnie said. "When we put our money together it's not that much."

"Guys you didn't have to go through all this trouble just to get me _lingerie_-"

"Oh, please!" Caroline cut in. "It was nothing, don't even worry about it. Just-," she pointed sternly at me, trying to be serious, but couldn't help the grin that broke out on her face, "go try it on."

"I really want to Care, but I gotta take a shower!" I sighed. "Damon will be here soon and I can't smell like _dirt_ when he gets here. Plus I should pack, so shoo!" I waved my hands at them, gesturing them to leave, but later decided to just push them out of my room and into the hallway.

"Hey-, come on! I wanna see how you look!" Caroline protested.

"Yeah me too, come on, please?" Bonnie begged and attempted her best puppy-dog face. As her best friend I almost fell for it, until I remembered that Damon would be here in about 15 minutes.

"No!" I half-laughed. "I have to shower. Talk to you later..." I wiggled my fingers as a wave goodbye, then closed the door. Immediately I rushed to my drawers, picking out a bra and panties, then walked over to my closet to pull out a thin black tank-top, with black skinny jeans and finally retreating to the bathroom. Closing the door behind me, I turned on the water, peeled off my pajamas and stepped under the warm spray as I once again got lost in my own thoughts.

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After my shower I was rushing to get things done. I quickly packed clothes (including the new lingerie I had received earlier), toiletries and other necessary things that popped into my head. When I was done, I headed downstairs to get something to eat. I didn't feel like drinking a blood bag at the time, so I turned on the coffee maker and popped some bread into the toaster. I pulled open the fridge and got out some ham, butter and cheese and put them on the island. Once my toast was made I went to go grab the coffee. I opened the cupboard above me and got out my favourite mug, then was about to pour some coffee in it but stopped in my tracks when I smelled _him_. His cologne. I smiled knowing it was Damon and knew I had to act fast, so I swiftly turned us around and pinned him to the side of the counter.

"You know," I purred, "it's pretty difficult to sneak up on me now. You of all people should know you can't sneak up on a vampire."

"Oh but I do," he answered with a smirk. "But maybe this vampire..." he paused, "wanted to get caught."

In one quick move he had us in opposite positions. Now _I_ was pinned to the counter with his face inches to mine. My eyes flickered between his eyes and lips, before leaning up to capture them in a searing kiss. After a few seconds we parted and rested our foreheads against each other's, trying to catch our breath, even though we didn't actually need to breathe.

"Hi," I said sweetly.

He smiled at me before kissing me once more. "Hi back."

I pulled away and turned around to pour the coffee into my mug, then took Damon's hand and led us over to the island before sitting down, just gazing at each other. After a moment of silence, I was the first to speak.

"So," I paused, taking a bite out of my toast, "what have you been up to lately?"

"Oh not much." Damon shrugged. "I haven't been hanging around at home a lot, since Stefan is collecting some new frown-lines for his already-crowded forehead. I swear, it's like the guy reads a manual telling you how to be miserable."

I laughed at that. One, because it's kind of true. Stefan has been doing nothing lately but brood, eat and sleep. And two, it was pretty hilarious picturing what he looked like all day: sitting on the couch, staring into the depths of the fireplace. I mean, I'm not saying I don't care about Stefan anymore, I do. I still love him, just not like I love Damon. I love Stefan more like a... brother, or a close friend... And speaking of brothers, I wonder what Jeremy is doing...

As if someone had read my mind, my phone started buzzing from upstairs.

"Oh, I'll get that. Stay here," I told Damon and blurred up to my room, my eyes landing on the small object on my nightstand. I picked it up, checking the caller ID. _Jeremy_.

"Hello?" I answered with slight curiousness in my tone.

"_Elena! Hey it's Jer_."

"Oh hey, where are you?"

"_Sorry I didn't leave a note. Matt called me yesterday asking to hang out, so he picked me up and drove us out of town for a little bit. Hope you don't mind."_

"No, not at all! I'm going away with Damon for a week or so anyway, so I won't even be home... Where are you guys going to sleep? Not in the car I hope."

"_Oh Matt's actually got a nice cabin located just outside of Mystic Falls, it's on the countryside too with no neighbors, so it's not like we're bothering anyone._" He chuckled lightly.

"Alright good," I said, feeling relieved he wasn't in some mysterious town with possible _creatures_ lurking in the shadows. "You better not get yourselves into trouble. Damon and I do _not_ want to be disturbed this week."

"_Woah, okay no need for details on that one. I'm pretty much scarred for life after what I saw when I walked in your room that one morning when you and Damon were-_"

"Yeah I get it," I rushed, "scarred. I don't even know what we're going to be doing anyway, so if you want details, ask Damon."

"_Yeah uh... no thanks. I'll pass. Anyway, have fun. I'll be sure to call you or text you soon, I know how you always worry._" My lips curved into a smile at his words. Jer was always so sweet, why was I such a mother hen?

"Okay. Just be safe. Both of you."

"_We will, I promise. Love you sis._"

"Love you too Jer. Bye."

"_Bye._" The phone clicked. I heard Damon shuffle downstairs, nearing the stairs. He probably wanted to leave in a few minutes. I glanced around the room, making sure I didn't forget anything important. Putting my phone in my pocket, I walked out of my room, closing the door behind me.

"You about ready to leave?" Damon asked, watching me as I descended the stairs.

I nodded. "Mhmm. Let's go." I grabbed my leather jacket, pulling it on and picking up my duffle bag sitting by the door.

"Ah, I see I've rubbed off on you," Damon said with a smirk, gesturing to my outfit with his head.

"Well, you've got good taste," I replied, pecking him on the cheek and walking out the door.

"Don't I?" he asked sarcastically, flashing his 200-watt smile at me.

"Sure." I sauntered to the back of his car, tapping lightly on it with my knuckle. "Now open the trunk."

"As you wish, mi'lady." He bowed his head slightly before walking towards me, still grinning. He gently pushed the key in, turned it and opened the trunk. He grabbed my bag and swung it inside before looking at me once more, asking, "Shall we go?"

I nodded and walked to the passenger's side, opened the door and got in.

"This is going to be a pretty long ride, so I brought along some blood bags for us to share." He pointed to the back seat.

"Thanks." I smiled. "You sure there's enough for the both of us?"

"Oh yeah. Hell-, there's enough to feed the two of us plus two more. I doubt we'd run out anytime soon."

"Good," I answered. I suddenly felt like listening to music, so I reached out and turned Damon's radio on. I settled back in my seat, relaxing as I listened to the soft vocals of _Forever_ by KISS.

Half an hour later, Damon and I found ourselves singing along loudly with no care in the world, to _Don't Stop Believin' _by Journey. I had my hands slightly raised, moving them as the song progressed. We were having the time of our lives, laughing and smiling those cheeky grins that make your jaw hurt after so long. But I didn't care, all that mattered was Damon and I. I have never been more in love than I am now.

Four hours passed by in a blur, until my eyelids started feeling droopy. The sky was beginning to become an ocean-blue colour, so it was probably getting late. Damon must've noticed I was dozing off because he turned down the radio without saying a word and continued driving.

"You didn't have to do that..." I mumbled, trying to focus on his face so that I didn't fall asleep.

"No it's alright, it's been a long day. You should sleep," he insisted. "I'll stop in the next town over or so, and check for motels."

"Okay... thank you..." I sighed in content. Already after a few seconds of finishing the sentence, I was quickly fading as I stared at the moon and stars, thinking what the future could hold for Damon and I. And finally after fighting the drowsiness, sleep overtook me as I slipped into my own little dream world, with nothing but Damon surrounding me.

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**A/N: So... what did you think? Again, excuse my small words and incapability of describing things. I did my best, and I'm basically making this up as I go along, but I have a few ideas as to where this could lead to.**

**Please review, tell me if you have any ideas I could add in. I'll get to work on chapter 2 A.S.A.P.**

**Oh and sorry for any grammar mistakes. ;)**

**Goodbye for now!**

**~Elsa xx**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you for the reviews! I'm happy you guys liked it! I'll try to keep up your expectations. R&R, and don't forget to enjoy too. ;)**

**Disclaimer: The Vampire Diaries belongs to L.J. Smith and the CW.**

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Chapter 2:

**Elena's P.O.V.**

I awoke several hours later, feeling warmth on the left side of my face... which was strange because I definitely didn't _gain_ any warmth from the surface of the window where I fell asleep, so what could it be? My eyes fluttered open, curiosity getting the best of me. At first I had no idea what was going on, but my brain put the pieces together and I realized I had somehow moved from the window to Damon's _shoulder._ My face was nestled in the crook of his neck, my nose barely touching his jawline. I contemplated moving, but decided against it and instead revelled in how comfortable this position was. My thoughts brought a grin to my face.

"Good morning sunshine," a voice suddenly said, "how'd you sleep?"

I looked up. "Good actually," I sighed. "That's the best sleep I've gotten in weeks."

"I sure hope so," Damon teased, "you were snoring louder than freaking _Chewbacca_."

I gaped at him. "I do not!" I smacked him playfully in the arm and lifted my head off his shoulder.

"Trust me babe," he leaned over and kissed my cheek. "you do." I shifted in my seat and looked at him, no humor shown whatsoever.

"Oh come on, don't be like that now." He pouted, sticking his bottom lip out. I put a hand over my mouth trying to muffle the giggles. But my act was completely blown.

"Ha-ha I knew you couldn't resist me." He poked my arm a few times and laughed. I just crossed my arms and turned to face the window, not daring to say anything else. My eyes soaked in the sights as we drove along: the tall, thick trees were all aligned together in rows, the sun was high in the sky, beaming through windows of small houses and gaps through the trees. It was simply breathtaking.

We continued driving and talking along the way about different things: favourite songs, things Damon's experienced. I even tried asking him where he was taking me, to see if he was distracted enough to let it slip. But no, all he did was smirk and make a tsk-tsk noise while wiggling his finger back and forth. I shook my head, earning a smug snicker from Damon. I chose to ignore how amused he was and just changed the subject to something he _couldn't_ boost his ego with.

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After an hour or so, I started getting hungry. I stretched my arm to the back seat and tugged on the zipper. Reaching in and grabbing a blood bag, I ripped the side and enveloped it with my mouth. Damon glanced my way, eyeing me as I sucked on the thick red liquid.

"You gonna share or should I just get my own?" he asked, gesturing to the almost-empty bag in my hands.

"Oh, uh... here." I quickly wiped any traces of blood off my mouth with my sleeve, not caring if it left any stains. He gently grabbed the bag, downing the rest of its contents before opening his window a smidge and throwing it out.

"Damon?!" I gasped, turning to look out the back window.

"What? I don't want those things all over my car," he replied, waving his hand around.

"You didn't have to throw it out the _window_," I retorted, raising one eyebrow.

"Meh," he shrugged, "either it's plastered to someone's windshield or getting run over by hundreds of tires. Do you really care?"

I sighed. "I guess not... Are we stopping anytime soon?" I asked, stretching my arms in front of me.

"Why don't you take a look for yourself?" He smirked. I focused on our surroundings, and seeing a lit sign reading _MOTEL_ instantly brightened my mood. _Finally, _I thought to myself. Damon parked in the far corner of the parking lot, pulled the key out of the ignition and turned to look me.

"I'll go inside and check us in," he said before leaning closer to me. "And you... can get our bags out of the trunk, and then meet me by the front doors. Okay?"

"Okay," I replied quietly, my voice catching in my throat. He was a few mere inches away from me, his warm breath tickling my face. The cologne he had on invaded my senses, drawing me forward. I hesitated, gradually moving closer to him as my eyes flickered up and down his face. He seemed to know what I was doing, but instead of doing anything, he sat there, his eyes darkening with lust. As I slowly closed the distance between us, he pulled me onto his lap as my lips parted; my tongue darting out, begging for entrance to his mouth, which of course he granted immediately. Our tongues battled for dominance, dancing and tangling together. I could still taste traces of blood in his mouth, but that only turned me on more. My brain suddenly reminded me that we were having a full-on make-out session in a _car_, in a _parking lot_. But my thoughts became clouded when Damon threaded his fingers through my hair, growling when I moaned in his mouth. I was about to take things to the next level, when I heard a loud knocking on the window. Damon and I reluctantly pulled away, glaring daggers at what- or whoever was interrupting us. A man stood there, bent over with a hand hovering over his eyes to see in better. I looked at Damon, my expression clearly asking, "_S__hould I get off_?" He nodded and I climbed over to my seat, hastily trying to fix my disheveled clothing.

I glanced at Damon briefly before he rolled down the window, hissing, "Can I help you?"

"Uh- well..." I heard the man mutter. I scooted closer to Damon, getting a better look at the stranger. He wasn't too bad-looking, truth be told. _Not better-looking than Damon..._ my mind sing-songed. I giggled abruptly, and when Damon eyed me looking puzzled, I just hid my face behind him.

"Well?" Damon asked the man, getting more impatient by the second.

"I saw the car pull in, but nobody stepped out so I just came to check if anything was out of the ordinary," he babbled. "I mean for all I know you could've been a kidnapper..."

Damon scoffed. "Yeah sure, so when you walk out here and see us making out, you don't stop and think, '_H__ey! Maybe they're just a couple and wanted to kiss!'_ But instead you _knock_ on the freaking window?!"

"Damon..." I warned.

He sighed, exasperated. "Fine. Back to the plan. I'll follow this _knuckle-head_ inside to check us in, you meet me by the doors."

I nodded. "Got it."

Damon rolled his window up and opened the door to step out, but I gripped his hand, grabbing his attention.

"Hey," I soothed, rubbing small circles on his hand, "you okay?"

Damon's features immediately softened at my voice. "Yeah I'm fine. I just don't exactly enjoy it when idiots like this guy here intrude on our _personal_ activities." He did that eye-thing I love so much and grinned.

I giggled. "I know," I looked around dramatically before whispering in his ear, "me too."

He groaned. "You better hide when we get inside our room 'cause I can't take all this seducing." He raised his hands up in mock-defeat, his smirk still firmly in place.

"Alright tiger," I rolled my eyes, "let's not get wild here." I stuck my foot out of the car and climbed out. I watched as Damon strolled to the front entrance with the man, probably silently hoping Damon wouldn't kill him. I shook my head, chuckling as I felt sorry for the guy who probably got the crap scared out of him. Walking to Damon's trunk and opening it, I grabbed our bags and trudged to the main entrance. As soon as I got there Damon came outside with a key dangling around his index finger.

"Here," he said, handing me the key, "I'll take the bags instead, you go ahead and get settled in."

"Alright," I replied. "Is it okay if I take a shower? I'm starting to stick to my clothes and I desperately need to get out of them."

"That's fine. I might just join you when I get there." He leaned down for a peck on the lips, then turned on his heels and disappeared inside the double-doors he had just come out of. _What's he doing back in there? _I wondered.

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Our room wasn't too hard to find, but as soon as I did, I darted straight for the bathroom. I was pulling my clothes off so fast I think I might have ripped them. But right now I was in desperate need of a shower and _nothing_ was stopping me now. Except maybe the incredibly cold water. I swear it was like skinny dipping in Antarctica. Deciding to wait for Damon to ask him to try and fix it, I checked around the bathroom, finding no towel. Then focusing on my vamp-hearing, I heard no other life-forms outside. So I slowly opened the bathroom door, peeking around the room. I don't know what I was doing, but I found myself looking in cabinets and under the bed for anything I could use as a towel, while still wearing nothing but my birthday suit. _What the hell are you doing?! _my mind asked me. To be honest, I didn't feel shy showing my body at all. That is, until Damon decided it was a great time to come bursting through the door...

"Hey I ordered some food for us fo-..." He stopped mid-sentence. "Um..." His eyes traveled up and down my body, clearly distracted by the nothingness that was covering me. I decided to play off my shyness with sexyness instead. And... by the looks of Damon right now, I was doing pretty good.

"_Um..._ what?" I asked him, my eyes twinkling playfully.

He swallowed thickly. "Where exactly are your... uh, clothes?"

"In the bathroom," I stated before sauntering closer to him, swinging my hips. His eyes widened in surprise but quickly figured out the game I was playing with him.

"Well then what are you doing out here?" he wondered.

He grabbed my waist, pulling me flush against him, every part of our bodies now touching. I inhaled a shaky breath, studying his features. They were calm; his lips were tugged into a mischeivious grin, his eyes sparkling with lust, and could it be... love?

"I uh- came out here to look for a towel," I mumbled under my breath, knowing Damon could hear me anyway.

He didn't answer me though, we just stood there in the middle of the room, gazing at each other as if we were in a trance. But that ended when we heard the buzzing of a phone. Damon let go of me, and I ran to check my clothes in the bathroom.

"It's not mine," I said as I returned. But by then Damon had already retrieved his cell out of his bag, face hardening at what I could only assume was the caller ID.

"Who is it?" I asked him as I walked over, still completely nude, but not caring at the moment.

He looked up at me, and flipped his phone around to show me the screen. I instantly recognized the name. _Stefan._

Damon put a finger up to his lips, signaling me to be quiet. I nodded, and he clicked the green button to pick up.

"Hey baby bro, you calling 'cause you're too bored to brood anymore? Well sorry, we ain't coming back for you."

"_I didn't call wanting to talk to you Damon, put Elena on,_" I heard Stefan say on the other end. Why couldn't he just call my cell instead of Damon's?

"Now Steffie, why couldn't you call Elena's phone instead of mine hmm?" he asked, as if he had heard my thoughts.

"_I knew she probably wouldn't answer if she saw it was me,_" Sefan replied, sounding... sad?

Damon rolled his eyes. "So you thought that _I_ would pick up instead?"

"_Well you're talking to me, aren't you?_"

"Touché," Damon said and looked at me, probably wondering if I even _wanted_ to speak to Stefan. I sighed and put my hand out, gesturing for Damon to give the phone to me.

Putting the phone to my ear, I asked, "What is it Stefan?"

"_Elena?_" There was pause. "_I wanted to call and tell you I'm sorry... for how I've been behaving lately. I came to my senses a few days ago, and realized..._" he sighed, "_I need you._"

Damon's muscles tensed. Of _course_ Stefan would call begging me to come back to him. Did he honestly believe I still loved him that way, after all this time?

"Stefan," I said softly, "I know you still love me, but you have to understand, I'm not going to... come back to you. I am with _Damon_ now. I'm happy and if you can't accept that then I'm sorry but I can't help you."

"_But Elena... Damon he's-_" he started. I knew where he was going with this so I cut him off, suddenly enraged by him trying to convince me to dump Damon for _him_.

"No! You are not going to get me back Stefan!" I said, my voice beginning to raise. "Damon and I are happy together. Why can't you get that through your thick skull?!"

Damon was still standing in front of me, shock and utter surprise written all over his face.

"_Elena, why are you defending Damon?_" Stefan asked, his voice now beginning to raise as well. "_He practically ruined your life! He __killed__ Jeremy! What has he done to you..._" he wondered, more to himself than to me.

"Ugh. Stefan, Damon hasn't done anything to me okay? It's not like he's compelling me, I'm a vampire now!" I exclaimed, waving my arms around for emphasis.

"_But, Elena I-_"

"No. You do not get to pull that card on me." I guessed there was only one way to get him to back off. I had to tell him the truth. "Look Stefan," I waited a few seconds before continuing, "there will always be a part of me that loves you okay?" Damon kept his eyes on the ground, not wanting to look at me.

"But here is the truth. So listen up," I said, pausing again. I took hearing no response as a 'G_o on'_ signal, so I cleared my throat and began explaining.

"I'll admit, what we had was amazing. I woke up every morning thinking, 'W_ow, I think I finally found the one'. _The last two years had been everything I ever imagined it to be. But somewhere during those two years, something kind of... broke our connection. It could've been when you went off the rails on human blood during our first year together, or when Katherine showed up and I was afraid old feelings would be mixed with new... But then there was that horrible moment, when I found out you had left with Klaus. I nearly lost my mind. I had countless, sleepless nights, when all I could think about was where you were, what you were being forced to do, if you thought about me as much as I thought about you. At the time I thought the idea was crazy that I could take comfort with Damon, but I did. He helped my nightmares go away and kept me company when I was alone... After a few months, Damon and I were almost inseparable. He came to my house one day, I'd go to the boarding house the next. And we became much closer than ever before... But then you came back." My voiced cracked, but I shook it off and continued speaking. "And I thought it had to be some sort of miracle, so I went along with whatever came my way. We were taking it slow, but even then... I noticed how different you were. Your mannerisms changed, you had a shorter temper and you hunted a lot more, leaving me alone. Once again, Damon would cheer me up while you were gone. His snarky comments and sarcastic comebacks really started growing on me." I smiled and looked at Damon, who seemed a little more interested than before as to where this was going.

"What I'm trying to get at here, is... that's not the only thing that grew," I told Stefan, who was still silently listening on the other end.

"These... feelings showed up and clung to my heart. Feelings I was scared to admit, to myself and most of all to you. Because I knew if I told you, it would break you. So I tried ignoring them, pushing them away or squishing them into the deepest corner of my heart..." A single tear rolled down my cheek, landing on the carpet floor as I lowered my face, trying to hide from Damon who had now moved from his spot in front of me to the edge of the bed.

I sniffled and breathed in a shaky breath, determined to tell both Stefan and Damon how I felt.

"After my accident on the bridge, every feeling I had was heightened. Like you had said, anger became rage, sorrow was overwhelming and when we loved, we truly _loved_. With our whole beings. So those feelings, that I had for Damon, broke free from that corner in my heart and spread through my veins. I knew I couldn't keep denying them, because that would be lying to you, to Damon and to myself. So I had to break up with you... because the truth is Stefan, I was no longer in love with _you_, but instead I was irrevocably in love..." I sighed, "with Damon."

Damon's head snapped up, freezing as he searched my eyes, looking for any indication that what I had just said, wasn't true. I never broke eye-contact with Damon as I finally admitted what my heart had been telling me for so long.

"I _love _Damon, Stefan." A grin tugged on the corners of my mouth and I welcomed it, feeling relieved that I had finally uncovered the truth.

"_You... love him? You __love__ him?!_" Stefan suddenly exclaimed. I flinched as I heard glass shatter and wood snap.

"_How the __hell__ could you love that- that __monster__?"_

"God Stefan have you not been listening this whole time?" I shouted, "I just explained _everything_ to you! And Damon is not a monster! You may think so, but underneath that mask of his, there is a loving, caring and trustworthy man that is only searching for someone to give his all to. He has been through so much in his life. From a father who never truly accepted him to a love that was a lie from the beginning! He has lost so much, and I would think it's only natural that he would build a wall around his heart so no one had the chance to break it again! You _never_ understood how he felt. _Never_. So you do _not_ get to blame him for anything or call him anything but a man. And don't you dare try calling back after this, because if you do I swear to God I will stake you myself, you got it? Now go back to brooding, and don't bother me again." I hung up and threw Damon's cell phone in his bag. Slumping to the floor I began sobbing, not caring that I was still stark naked. My vision was so blurry that I didn't even notice Damon reaching out and wrapping me in the covers from the bed. He rocked me back and forth in his arms, while rubbing my back in circular motions.

We stayed like that for a few minutes until my sobbing subsided. I decided it was time to have a shower, so I slowly got up and walked to the bathroom. I turned around to look at Damon once more, before closing the door behind me and climbing into the shower, not caring that it was still impossibly cold. I stayed in there for a good twenty minutes, letting the spray of the now lukewarm water wash away any thoughts. After finally getting out, I wrapped the covers back around my body and slowly opened the door. Peering into the room, I found Damon lounging on the bed, his legs crossed at his ankles with one arm behind his head as he watched what I recognized was _How I Met Your Mother_.

"Hey," I said softly as I walked over to him and laid down on the bed.

"Hey you," he replied, grabbing my waist to pull me closer.

"What time is it?" I asked, yawning as soon as I finished the sentence.

He glanced at the digital alarm-clock sitting on the night stand by his side of the bed, before he answered, "It's 9:30."

"9:30 already?" I looked over at the clock, my eyes widening in surprise.

He nodded. "Mhmm. Seems your conversation with Stefan took some time."

The name instantly made me angry, so I looked away, not wanting to talk about _him_ at the moment. Damon placed a finger under my chin, twisting my head gently to look at him.

"Hey, I'm sorry. Didn't mean to bring him up. Just forget I even said it."

"No it's fine," I replied and grabbed his hand, squeezing it. "I'm not going to let him bother me anymore."

"If it makes you feel any better, we can start calling him _He-who-must-not-be-named_ instead of Stefan?" He smirked.

I laughed. "Sorry but Voldemort isn't here. Just... don't mention him so much. It downs my mood."

Damon chuckled, before kissing me softly on my temple and replying, "You don't have to tell me twice."

I grinned, and threw the covers from around me onto the bed so I could slither inside. I scooted closer to Damon and snuggled my face into his chest. As I listened to the soft melody of his breathing, it took only minutes for me to start dozing off.

Right before I slipped into my dream world, Damon whispered, "I love you Elena Gilbert."

I smiled, and now that he knew the truth, I could finally return his feelings.

"I love you Damon Salvatore," I whispered back, before closing my eyes and peacefully falling asleep in my one true love's arms.

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**A/N: Awww! :)**

**Writing the parts with Stefan seriously gave me an adrenaline rush. I just love when Elena defends Damon, so I had to put that in here. I worked really hard on this chapter too, so I hope you all enjoy it. **

**Again, sorry for any grammar mistakes and feel free to leave any ideas you have as to what I could write for the morning after.**

**Please review! **

**Love you all!**

**~Elsa xx**


	3. Chapter 3

**A****/N: Wow! I was surprised how many of you liked the past few chapters! Thank you for all of your reviews, and I hope you like chapter 3! **

**Enjoy!**

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Chapter 3:

**Damon's P.O.V.**

My mind was swirling with thoughts and emotions. Just last night, Elena admitted she was in love me while at the same time _defended_ me and told Stefan off. _Man_ that was sexy. I love it when she gets defensive though, it's beyond hot. Anyway, _I_ was completely shocked about the whole confession, yet it fixed every broken piece of my heart. I've always had the feeling deep down that I would end up spending eternity loving a woman I couldn't have. But now, every trace of doubt I had about us disappeared into thin air, and has been replaced by love, want and need. Elena Gilbert is my angel, and always will be...

I was lying in bed, my arms curled around Elena's waist. She hadn't moved at all last night, except for the occasional brush of her fingers against my chest. She was still peacefully asleep, but I was fully awake. I didn't want to disturb her by getting up, so instead, I watched her. No - not in a creepy way, just... _gazing_ at her angelic form. Her silky, chestnut hair frames her face perfectly and her skin, oh God her skin... Its olive colour attracts my fingers whenever I'm near.

I gently ran my finger down her arm, once again being incapable of resisting the urge to touch her. She stirred a little, before her eyelashes began to flutter, and she opened her eyes. It still amazes me how beautiful the colour of her eyes are. They don't even compare to Katherine's. They might be the same colour, but Elena's have a depth to them that forces you to feel her emotions with a simple glance. And hearing all this from me - "_the guy who isn't capable of love or any other emotion_" - must mean her eyes are pretty intense...

Bringing myself out of my thoughts, I leaned down to meet her lips in a gentle - yet still passionate - morning kiss. She smiled up at me and put a hand to my face, tracing my jaw line. I smiled back, and it literally took everything in me to keep from taking her then and there when she trailed her finger from my chin down to my stomach. Oh the things she does to me...

"Good morning," she said, still grinning from ear-to-ear.

"Yes it is," I replied, grinning just as widely.

"What time is it?" she asked, trying to glance over my shoulder.

"Um..." I twisted my head, looking for the clock. "It's 10 AM."

"Already?" she asked shocked, her mouth hanging open slightly.

"Yup," I replied, popping the 'p' at the end.

She seemed to ponder over something, but just shrugged instead and rolled out of my arms... and straight out of the bed. I couldn't help but burst out laughing when she made an "oof" sound when she landed. Obviously it didn't hurt her, but it was still hilarious.

"Ugh. Yeah, yeah very funny," she deadpanned, throwing a pillow at my face. That only made me laugh more.

"Jeez, Damon. You're going to hurt yourself laughing too hard!" She shook her head, laughing quietly to herself as she dug through her bag to find some clothes.

For some reason I couldn't _stop_ laughing, until I rolled over to the wrong side of the bed and fell off. Now it was Elena's turn to have a giggle fit.

"I told you to be careful!" she said matter-of-factly, while clutching her stomach, attempting to stop the giggles from erupting.

"Uh-huh... I heard you," I muttered, running a hand through my hair as I climbed back onto the mattress.

"Mhmm. Now, I'm going to shower and actually put some _clothes_ on." She looked down at herself then back to me. "And you should get dressed too."

"And what if I want to shower as well?" I smirked and licked my lips.

"Well then," she breathed out heavily, before turning around and swinging her hips as she walked closer to the bathroom, "you better hurry up, 'cause I need a shower... _now_."

A deep growl formed in my throat as I imagined all the things we could do in that shower. Faster than anyone could blink, I blurred in front of her, stopping a few centimetres from her face. I could hear her breath come out in gasps, and a smirk spread its way across my face again, loving how I could still affect her this way.

"You coming then?" I whispered in her ear, making her shiver.

"Um... uh yeah." Her eyes were fixed on my mouth as I stepped closer until there was only about a hair-breadth between us.

"Then..." I paused, looking at the floor, before a sneaky grin appeared on my face. "Let's go!" I quickly grabbed her waist, tickling her like a mad-man. She squealed, kicked and wiggled around, helplessly trying to escape. But it was no use, she was _not_ getting away from me.

I carried her into the bathroom and put her down in the shower. By now she was completely out of breath and complaining that her sides hurt from laughing too much, so she insisted on letting her sit. I only chuckled, then removed my own clothes and climbed in with her. I turned the water on to a comfortable heat, and we took turns massaging and caressing each other. It felt like an eternity before we actually got out of the bathroom, fully clothed and dry.

"So when are we gonna head out again?" Elena asked as she made the bed, tucking in the sheets and fluffing the pillows before placing them gently back in their spots.

"When do you _want_ to leave?" I answered with a question.

She shrugged. "I don't know. I want to do something fun before we leave here. I can't handle so many hours sitting in a car."

I chuckled softly. "Hmm. Well, there _is_ an amusement park only a ways away from here. Wanna go?"

The moment I had said amusement, she started jumping up and down like a small child and threw herself into my arms.

"Oh Damon can we please go? Please, please, please?" She stuck out her lip, testing her puppy-dog face on me. God that was the cutest thing _ever_. I would have said yes in the first place, but now it was impossible to say no.

"Yes, I'll take you there now if you'd like, but no one would be there except us." I smiled and waved my arm towards the door, gesturing her to follow me outside.

Her smile was sparkling diamonds now, and the excitement in her eyes made my heart melt. Gripping my hand tightly, she pulled me out the door, not wanting to waste a second of the adventure and fun.

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"It's beautiful..." Elena whispered as she gazed upon the lit-up amusement park.

"Yes it is," I told her, hoping she knew I didn't only mean the park. Elena was like a fallen angel; beautiful, smart, tough... perfect.

She suddenly giggled, and looked at me with a sneaky glint in her eyes. I just stared, with a kind of dumbfounded look on my face. She pointed in the distance, and as my eyes followed the line of her finger, I figured out she was pointing to the ferris wheel. _Great_.

"Come on Damon!" she shouted as she ran towards it.

"I'm not getting on that _thing_. It's girly and it'll totally ruin my badass reputation." I smirked, winking at her.

"Oh come on! Stop being such a big baby!" she shouted back at me, and stopped just by the controls. Switching them on, the lights became brighter, and the ferris wheel slowly started rotating. She turned back to me, and curled her finger in a "come here" gesture.

I rolled my eyes and made my way over to her. I stopped when I was standing beside her, and watched as she backed up a few steps.

"What are you doing?" I asked her, raising an eyebrow.

"There's something I've always wanted to try..." she answered and then looked at me as if she was expecting me to do something.

"Well what am I supposed to do about it?"

She laughed and walked back over to where I was standing, and reached out to grab my hand.

"Get ready," she whispered in my ear.

"Ready? For wh-" I was cut off when she bent down on her knees and jumped up to the top of the ferris wheel in the blink of an eye.

"I... was not expecting that," I said surprised, and she giggled.

"Wasn't it fun though?" she sighed and laid her bead back on the seat, staring up at the star-filled sky.

"Sure," I whispered softly. Then I pulled her closer to me, and she rested her head on my shoulder with a smile still peacefully attached to her face. I wrapped my arms around her body and relaxed as she returned the gesture.

"I love you Damon," Elena whispered suddenly, and pressed a feather-light kiss on my lips. I didn't respond though, because my world had stopped when she said those three magic words. I know I had heard them before, but for some reason, the starry night mixed with the aurora of the lights around us, made it magical.

Coming out of my paralyzed state, I brushed a strand of hair away from her face and returned the words. "I love you too." I smiled lovingly at her before resting my chin on her head. We never said anything, but instead just relaxed in a comfortable silence, enjoying each other's company in the cool night breeze.

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"Oh my God I _love _this song!" Elena exclaimed, and turned the radio up louder.

Elena and I had stayed a few hours at the amusement park, but once it got later than 10 I told her it would be a good idea to get back to the motel and check out. So once we had packed all our stuff, I went in to see that idiot from before, checked us out and thanked the heavens I wouldn't have to deal with him anymore.

Glancing over at Elena, I couldn't help but grin at her. She was clearly enjoying herself, singing along to _Locked Out Of Heaven _by Bruno Mars. I couldn't help but notice that she was actually really good. It made me want to start singing as well, but that would never happen... maybe.

"And you make me feel like... I've been locked out of heaven, for to lo-o-o-o-ong! For too lo-o-o-o-ong!" she sang. Her eyes were closed, her mouth was curved into the cutest smirk and her hands were waving around with the melody.

As the song progressed, I found myself tapping the steering wheel with my hands along with the beat. I even started humming! Shrugging my shoulders, I decided to let loose and join Elena in her little party in the passenger seat.

"You bring me to my knees, you make me testify," she began the next verse. Now it was my turn.

"You can make a sinner change his ways," I sang. I smirked when she suddenly gaped at me, probably shocked from my _sexy_ voice. But she continued singing anyway, and this time it actually seemed like she was trying to _impress_ me.

"Open up your gates 'cause I can't wait to see the light!"

"And right there is where I wanna stay-y-ay-y-ay-y-ay-y-ay!"

Then we sang together. "'Cause your sex takes me to paradise, yeah your sex takes me to paradise. And it show-o-o-ows, yeah, yeah, yeah! 'Cause you make me feel like... I've been locked out of heaven, for too lo-o-o-o-ong! For too lo-o-o-o-ong! Yeah you make me feel like..." I could feel Elena's eyes on me. The air suddenly changed around us and it went from comfortable to barely able to breathe.

"I've been locked out of heaven," we continued, "for too lo-o-o-o-ong! For to lo-o-o-o-ong, oh- oh, oh, oh, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah." Now I had stopped singing, and Elena was _killin' _it!

"Can I just stay here? Spend the rest of my days he-e-ere? Oh, oh, oh, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Can I just stay here? Spend the rest of my days he-e-ere, 'cause you make me feel like," she touched my face as she sang the rest of the lyrics, "I've been locked out of heaven... for too lo-o-o-o-ong, for too lo-o-o-o-ong. Yeah you make me feel like, I've been locked out of heaven... for too lo-o-o-o-ong, for too lo-o-o-o-ong, o-o-oh..."

We let the rest of the song play, and Elena turned the radio down once the song was over.

"I didn't know you could sing," Elena said, her fingers now moved from caressing my face to playing with my hair.

"Well I never felt like showing you before," I replied, still keeping my eyes on the road.

"How come you showed me now then?"

"Well..." I started. Honestly I didn't know what had made me want to sing. But I'm 99% sure Elena had something to do with it. She always makes me want to show her things I've never shown anyone else.

"I thought I'd let loose for once." I looked at her, and did my eye thing I know she loves. "You know, have fun."

"Oh..." she said with a mock-surprise in her tone. "Well I thought you were always fun?"

"Oh I am," I answered confidently, "but I'm more comfortable with you than anyone else, and I know you wouldn't judge me... hopefully. So I like to _reveal_ things to you that no one else knows about me. And if you tell anyone I said all this I will seriously hunt you down." I tried being serious and wiggled a finger in her face, but when she started giggling I couldn't help but laugh until we could no longer breathe.

All I could think about was, _T__his'll be a trip you'll never forget_. Yes, yes it will be.

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Elena and I had been on the road for seven hours straight. Both of us were exhausted. Elena slept most of the car ride, but I kept myself awake by drinking blood and listening quietly to the radio. Time seemed to pass by in a blur after I got distracted by the music or the small smile that was formed on Elena's beautiful features beside me.

We were nearing a lake, so the waves that were crashing against the rocks made a lot of sound to a vampire. Just as I had thought, Elena started stirring and then finally opened her eyes after being too bothered to try and fall back asleep.

"How long have I been sleeping?" she asked, rubbing her eyes to try and get rid of the look of sleep in them.

"Almost the whole ride," I replied, a yawn escaping my own lips. "So about ten hours."

"What? That can't be possible! I _never_ sleep that long." She took out her cell phone in her pocket, and checked the time. Seeing I was right, she let it drop in her lap and leaned over to kiss my cheek.

"I guess I felt more at peace since you're here," she murmured.

"I guess so," I whispered, inches away from her face.

I was the first one to take the dive. I pulled her face closer to mine and hungrily kissed her rosy lips. She responded almost immediately, and was now in my lap. I had completely let go of the steering wheel, so now no one was driving. I didn't even care though, there were no houses in the area; just grass, rocks and trees. So even if we swerved off the road, we wouldn't kill anyone else or ourselves for that matter. It's not like we'd die anyway.

My hands were on both sides of Elena's face, our lips were gliding against each other's and our tongues dancing. I slipped one hand down from her head to the hem of her shirt. Running my fingers up her back, she shivered and moaned in my mouth. _God_ that was hot. A low growl escaped my lips, and my self control was slipping fast. Elena was practically clawing my back, attempting to get closer to my embrace. I pulled away slightly and began trailing kisses down her neck, across her collar bones and the parting of her breasts. She hissed in pleasure and my control completely snapped. I pulled off her shirt wanting more contact with her skin. But... all good things had to end. We were both too distracted by each other, we didn't notice I had hit the steering wheel. The whole car swerved in a dangerous turn.

"Damon!" Elena cried. I felt bad now, I had scared her.

"It's okay, it's okay," I soothed.

Elena was clinging to my shirt, obviously scared out of her mind. I mean who wouldn't be? I've been in _much_ worse situations, and yeah... Elena has gone through some tough crap. But I do know that car accidents, are the worst thing she's ever gone through. From the first time, when her parents died... To the second time, when Stefan was being a dick and almost drove her off Wickery Bridge, and the_ third _time, when she actually died and came back in transition! Of course she's going to be freaked out!

The car finally stopped spinning. We were just about to roll into the ditch, but I turned the wheel in the last second, and the car made a complete stop. I took my time checking if Elena was okay. Her eyes were closed, her hands were in little fists and they were clasping my shirt in a death grip, afraid to let go.

"Elena." I put a finger underneath her chin and tilted her head to face me.

"Elena we stopped spinning, you can open your eyes now."

She finally seemed to hear me, and slowly opened her eyes, before letting out a sigh of relief that the car had finally stilled.

"Are you okay?" I asked her. Honestly, I was worried. I should've known it was a bad idea to make out in the front seat - _while_ I was driving! She probably hates me now... Great going, Damon.

"Damon..." she whispered.

"Yeah?"

"... Are you okay?" she finally answered.

"You're honestly going to ask me if I'm okay?"

"Yes..." She rubbed her thumb on my cheek, and I put my hand over it, loving the warmth on my face from her touch.

"I'm fine, are you?" I asked.

"Mhmm... Where are we exactly?" She glanced at our surroundings. We were still in an open area; no houses, buildings or people walking around. I could still hear the waves from the lake hit rocks, and I knew she could too, so she must know we were close to water.

"We..." I tapped her nose with my finger, "are only a few kilometers from our destination." I saw her face brighten instantly, and her eyes lit up in excitement.

"Really? Well what are you waiting for, let's go!" she squealed happily and climbed over to her seat. Putting her seat belt on (which I just realized she hadn't worn the entire time we've been in the car), I restarted the car, and drove off.

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It only took about twenty minutes to get to our _surprise destination _at the speed I was going. I glanced at Elena as I pulled into the stone path. Her eyes were the brightest I've seen them since she was human and her mouth was slightly open in awe. It looked like she was in _heaven_.

"Wow, Damon..." she gasped softly, "this is amazing."

We both climbed out of the car and Elena immediately headed towards the cabin that stood hidden in the tall, dark trees and stopped when she was standing a few metres away from the door. I was following silently behind her, waiting for her reaction. As she turned around to look at me, I nodded towards the door, telling her it's okay to go in. She bit her lip and slowly turned the knob. As the door opened, she put a hand over her mouth.

"Damon, I- I'm speechless..." she said, her voice full of surprise.

"Well, do you like it?" I walked closer to her and rested my hands on her hips.

"Yes! Damon this is amazing! How come you never took me here before?" She tilted her head in wonder.

"Well... we never really had the time. Besides, you were with Stefan and I'm pretty sure you would've said _not in a million years_ if I had asked you to come with me." I winked.

"Oh..." She turned away, hiding her face.

"Hey, it's okay. Alright?" I brushed her hair away from her face, trying to get her attention.

"Sorry..." She kept her head lowered, staring at the ground. That's when I caught the tear, making its way down her angelic face until dropping down onto the small stones we stood on.

"For what?" I wondered, my brows furrowing in confusion.

"For letting you be alone all these years," she replied as she raised her head, but kept her eyes lowered. That broke me. No way was she going to feel sorry for my stupid ass. It's not her fault I messed everything up. She loved my brother, which sure - I kind of hated at times for someone like Stefan scoring someone like Elena. But after getting to know her, I just appreciated every moment I had with her.

"Elena that's not your fault. You couldn't have changed things if you wanted to. And I couldn't blame you for anything, it's my fault for being such an _ass_ all these years." I tried making her laugh, and it worked... sort of. She chuckled softly, but then sniffled.

"Are you listening to me?" I lowered my head, searching for her eyes. And when our eyes met, I could clearly see the pain hidden within them. She was good at covering it up, but she can never hide anything from me. Except maybe her feelings for me but that's another story.

"Yes..." she muttered.

"Good. Now get this in your head... you have not done anything wrong. Nothing. It's _my_ fault I've been alone all this time. I was an ass, I used people and I was a complete jerk to any girl I met. And then there was you..." _That_ got her attention, and now she was looking at me with wide eyes.

"You... have changed me completely. I mean I'm still sarcastic, cocky and a jerk most of the time, but you bring out my better, _human_ side that very few people have ever seen. Like right now for instance - I'm actually giving a damn about someone's feelings. A while ago I probably would've said screw that, but with you, I can actually open up to you, tell you secrets and how much I love you without being afraid of someone shattering my heart like it had so long ago. I had closed my human side inside the deepest, darkest corner of my heart and built a wall around it to keep anyone from getting in. But when I met you, everyday I saw you... you easily broke through brick by brick until you came down to the hidden contents of my heart. At first I had pushed the feelings away and ignored them. Back then I couldn't be bothered to feel. But now, after all this time... I wish I could've been a better man. For you." Tears were running freely down her cheeks, and she was furiously wiping them away.

"Damon," she started, but I couldn't take anymore of her apologies, so I held a finger to her lips, silencing her.

"No... don't make me explain this all over again. I was alone because of my stupid self. Not because you didn't love me. But hey, we're here now right?" I grinned, trying to lighten the mood. A hint of a smile appeared on her lips. _Mission accomplished,_ I thought.

"Now, you gonna come inside or are we going to stay out here all day and talk about our _feelings_?" I waved my arms around in a girly way, earning a smack in my chest and a scowl from Elena. Ah, girls. You can never be too careful about what you say.

We entered the cabin, where we were met with a cozy warmth that surrounded us.

"It's so... homey in here," she said as she looked around the room. There were beige-coloured couches sitting in the center of the room around a small fire place that I had lit way before we drove over here. I was surprised it was still going... and this place was still in one piece.

"Well yeah, aren't cabins supposed to be homey? I could paint the walls black if you want?" I smirked and she shook her head, trying to hide the smile. But I saw it, and that just made the smirk that was plastered to my face grow.

"Don't do that! I just, didn't expect it to be like this... I could fall asleep just by looking at all this." She pointed to the circle of couches around the fire. I had to admit, it looked _very_ tempting. And I've been awake for over fourteen hours, so I might just take the invitation. Thinking about sleep made me yawn, but I tried to play it off. Obviously Elena had caught it, and was now brushing her fingers on my face, studying me.

"When was the last time you slept?" she asked.

"Uh..." I raised a hand to the back of my head and scratched my scalp, pretending to try and remember.

"Damon..." she said in a warning tone, but I didn't miss the worry in her voice.

"The last time I slept was... about eight hours ago, give or take," I answered with my eyes closed. I didn't want to see the look on her face, I knew how much she always worried. But curiosity got the best of me, and peeking out of one eye, I could see her gaping at me. She didn't say anything, but instead _dragged_ me through the living room and into the small doorway that led to the bedrooms. How did she even know where to go?

She stopped in the hallway, and looking to the end of the hall, she must have figured out it was the master bedroom and continued with her dragging of my body. I was too tired to fight back, so I just let her take me there. When we entered the room, she didn't even look at all the pictures on the walls, or the small knick-knacks on the dresser by the door. Instead, she pulled me to the side of the bed and forced me to sit down. I didn't know what she was doing, until she began undressing me. In another situation, I would've been incredibly turned on and ripping my clothes off... but right now, I was close to passing out from exhaustion.

Next thing I knew, I was sitting on the bed in nothing but my boxers. I watched as Elena pulled back the covers and fluffed the pillows. It made me think about how great of a mother she would've been if she'd had the chance to grow old. My thoughts became clouded when she laid me down carefully and covered me with the feather-like covers. The moment my head hit the pillows, my vision became blurry and I was fading quickly. The last thing I remembered was the feeling her soft lips on my forehead, and the murmur of her words.

"Sweet dreams, Damon..." she said tenderly, and walked out of the room.

I fell asleep with a smile on my face, feeling more at peace than I have in years, and dreaming about only Elena.

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**A/N: Soooo? Was it okay? What was your favourite part?**

**Don't forget to review! Thank you!**

**~Elsa xx**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry it always takes so long to update, I sometimes get caught up in homework or I just get distracted. **

**Hope you enjoy! :) **

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Chapter 4:

**Elena's P.O.V.**

I shook my head as I walked out of the bedroom. How could Damon stay up for so long? He pretty much _passed out_ while standing right in front of me! And if he was _fully_ awake, the situation we were in before (as in undressing him) would've ended in a _completely_ different way.

I sat on the couch around the blazing fire in the center of the room, wondering about what I should do while Damon's sleeping. I'm actually not tired at all, since I slept most of the way here. So maybe I should clean?

I ran my finger along the small wooden table in front of me. I found no dust, and even my vamp-eyesight couldn't detect anything, which means this place is as clean as it'll ever be.

I sighed and plopped my chin on my hand as I tapped my fingers from pinky to index on my chin.

_Bake! _my mind called out suddenly. _You can bake cookies!_

I grinned excitedly and searched for the kitchen. As I walked in, I immediately opened every cupboard and cabinet, trying to find all the ingredients to the cookies. I found them in no time, I even discovered hidden chocolate in the fridge...

I giggled, finding it quite amusing picturing Damon eating chocolate. I've never seen him eat any type of candy before, so it was actually a tad shocking that he would have _chocolate_ stashed in the back of his fridge.

Bringing myself out of my thoughts, I began pouring ingredients in a small bowl and whisking it around. It didn't take much time before the cookie dough was done and in small circles on a tray. I opened the oven and placed the tray gently inside.

As I closed the oven door, I mentally patted myself on the back. I was never the greatest when it came to baking, I was usually close to burning the house down... But this time I could finally get it right.

Smiling to myself, I walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. _It's so boring when Damon's asleep,_ I thought. Well that's definitely true, I can't seem to find anything _fun _to do by myself. I guess I could just write in my diary, though.

Walking to the front door to retrieve my bag, I suddenly realized Damon and I had left our bags in the trunk. Sighing once again, I dragged my feet outside, to the back of the car. I cursed under my breath as I got there, remembering you need a _key_ to get into Damon's trunk. And it was probably hidden somewhere in his jeans, or for all I know it could be hidden in his boxers. He wasn't one to put valuable objects in plain sight.

A mischeivious grin spread its way across my face. _I could just go in there and grab it, Damon won't notice... I thnk._

I tiptoed and snuck my way into the bedroom where my boyfriend was looking oh-so-adorable as he slept.

I crept closer to the bed and carefully pulled the covers back. I swallowed nervously as my eyes traveled to his... _lower_ area. My palms became warm and clammy as I neared the elastic band by that very private body part. Slowly and gently, I ran my fingers along the material, hoping to find something other than cotton and skin. Damon stirred and rolled over on his back when my fingers brushed over his skin by the hem of the boxers, and I swear it was like he knew I was there because it looked as if a smile had appeared the moment I stepped in the room. Suddenly my eye caught a small form of an object, a key, located by Damon's inner thigh. _Oh great, he hides it in the most intimate spot he can think of._

I hesitated for a moment. I mean, who knows what he'll do if I wake him up! At this point I don't even know _why_ I'm still trying to get the key. The easiest thing to do would be to wait for him to wake up, and then ask him for it. But _no_, I just have to complicate everything.

I figured the less awkward way to do this would be grabbing the key from the bottom, instead of reaching in from the uh... top. So I gently tugged on the material, and watched as the key fell from its spot where it had been fastened to his thigh. _Here goes nothing,_ I thought before softly sliding my index finger inside his boxers, reaching for the key. I was about to nudge it when I was suddenly pinned on my back, with a very _awake_ boyfriend hovering over me.

"And what do you think you're doing?" he asked with a smirk.

"Um, I- I was just um..." I stuttered, trying to come up with an explanation.

"You know, I was very... _surprised_ when I awoke to fingers up my boxer shorts. I'm not complaining but hey, I could get used to it." He winked and leaned down to kiss me.

We parted after a few seconds and I tilted my head as I rubbed Damon's cheek with my thumb.

"I was trying to get the _key_ you had stuffed in there," I finally said, revealing my own smirk.

"Oh _that_," he replied. "Now why would you go through all that trouble to get this key when you could've gotten the other one in my jacket?"

"What do you mean _other one_? You're saying there was another key in your jacket this whole time?"

He nodded, laughing softly before planting a kiss on my head.

"Why couldn't you have told me this before? I thought you would've been the kind of guy who hid his _precious _keys somewhere secretive?"

"Well I do that with my spares, but clearly you had the right idea in mind..." he answered, and then flipped us over so I was now lying on top of him.

I laughed and leaned down close to Damon's face. His usual smirk disappeared as our lips were only a finger-breadth apart. But instead of closing what was left of the distance between us, I hopped off of him, and blurred to the door.

"Cookies are done!" I winked and escaped to the kitchen.

"Tease..." I heard him mutter as he climbed out of bed.

Smiling, I pulled the cookies out of the oven and placed them on top of the stove, just as two strong arms circled my waist and pulled me closer to their warm embrace.

"Mmm, smells good," Damon whispered in my ear and reached out to grab a cookie, but I smacked his hand away and turned to face him.

"Don't eat until they've cooled off. Besides, we haven't even had dinner yet." I wriggled my way out of Damon's arms and walked over to the fridge. Opening it, I peered inside, hoping a cooked meal would magically appear in front of my eyes.

"Fine," Damon said as he started taking things out of some cupboards. "But _I'm_ cooking dinner."

**Two hours later**

Damon and I were reclining on the couch, hugged by the warmth of the fire as the last of the flames died out. I began feeling tired as I sat in Damon's lap with my head resting on his shoulder. He noticed my steady breathing, and figuring I had fallen asleep, he slowly sat up to carry me to the bedroom but I stopped him.

"No," I whispered, "stay here. It's comfortable."

"Okay," he said softly, and laid his head back down. I snuggled closer to him, soothed by the rise and fall of his chest. I was asleep for a few minutes when my ears suddenly perked at an unknown noise outside of the cabin.

"Damon?" I whispered, shaking him a little.

"Huh? What is it?" he mumbled, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"I heard something outside..." I sat up to look out the window.

"I'm sure it's nothing. Now get back here, I'm getting cold." He smirked and ran his fingers up and down my arm, causing goose bumps to appear. Not being able to resist him, I sighed in defeat and returned to my previous position.

"Night Damon."

"Goodnight Elena."

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"Damon!" I squealed as I ran around the sandy area down by the lake. Damon and I had decided to spend the day by the dock, and watch the sunset together.

"I'm going to catch you, you know." He laughed and continued chasing me.

"No! Come on, Dam- ah!" He caught me by my waist and twirled me around. I kissed him and then took off towards the dock.

"You coming?" I asked, teasingly lifting my shirt over my head, revealing a black bikini top.

Shaking his head and chuckling, he ran to catch up with me. I didn't even have time to react before he had grabbed me and jumped into the icy contents of the water. I came up, gasping for air even though I didn't need it. I waited for Damon to come up, and when he did I swam towards him and threw my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist, desperate for heat.

"Well hello to you too," he said, smirking.

"I'm just c-cold." I hugged him tighter, still not receiving any warmth.

"I can see that." He laughed. "You know what, why don't we stay _out_ of the water for the rest of the day, and just sit on the dock instead while we wait for the sunset? No more swimming for you." He tapped me on my nose with his finger and I smiled.

"That s-sounds great," I said. "Carry me?"

"Alright," he sighed in a mock defeat, "but only because you're my girlfriend." He lifted me into his arms and walked towards the shore. Once we were on dry land, Damon grabbed my towel and wrapped it around me. And I watched as he picked up his own towel and slung it over his shoulder, with me still in his arms. He carried me to the dock and sat down before looking at me with an amused expression.

"You okay?" he asked. "You're hanging all over me."

"Oh, oops." I laughed softly and unwrapped my arms from around his neck, letting them drop to my lap. I was going to climb off of him but he grabbed my hand.

"I wasn't saying you needed to get off," he told me as he rubbed the back of my hand with his thumb. "I was just wondering if you're okay, since you seem tense."

"Yeah I'm fine," I said. "I'm still a bit cold, that's all."

Damon seemed to wonder if I was actually telling him the truth, but he just shrugged and kept holding my hand.

"So," I sighed, "what do you wanna do now?"

He looked at me and brushed a few stray hairs away from my face. "I would like to spend this glorious evening watching the sunset with the woman I love. How about you?"

"Same here." I smiled. "Except the woman part. You're not a girl." I laughed and lightly smacked his cheek.

"That I am not," he confirmed and pointed a finger.

"Oh look!" I gasped, tugging on Damon's shirt. "The sunset!"

I shifted my body, so my back was now facing Damon. I leaned back and rested my head on his shoulder as he wound his arms around my waist again. We watched as the red, orange and yellow colours blended in the horizon, creating a prefect movie-moment. We sat there a while longer as the sun slowly descended and disappeared out of sight.

"I love you," Damon whispered in my ear.

"I love you too, Damon."

I turned around and met his lips in a soft, passionate kiss.

"You think we should go inside now?" Damon asked as he stood up. I nodded, gesturing him to lead the way.

"Alright, come on." He put his arm around me and walked back towards the cabin. When we reached the door, I noticed it was already open. Damon and I glanced at each other, both wondering if we forgot to close the door on the way out or if someone _else_ had opened it. I stepped forward, about to push open the door but Damon stopped me and put a finger to his lips, gesturing me to keep quiet. We both stood still, focusing our ears on any unknown noises around us.

"There's someone inside," Damon whispered and pointed to the hallway leading to the other rooms.

"Well what are we waiting for, let's go find out who it is!" I blurred inside, following the sound coming from our bedroom. When I got there I immediately noticed the clutter of clothing and shattered glass from the mirror on the floor. But only one thing stood out. The brief glimpse of those _very _familiar green eyes and light brown hair before they disappeared out of sight.

I stood there in shock when Damon came rushing inside.

"What happened, did you see who was here?"

I nodded stiffly, as I was at loss for words.

"Well... who was it?" he asked, now standing in front of me and looking straight into my eyes.

"One word. Stefan."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I was sitting on the edge of the bed, watching as Damon paced back and forth, obviously disturbed by the fact that Stefan had been here and rummaged through our stuff. But that didn't exactly explain the shattered mirror. He can kiss my ass if he's jealous, which I bet he is. I turned my attention back to Damon who was still pacing the floor.

"Damon," I said as I stood up and placed my hand on his arm, "you okay?"

"No!" he snapped. "How can I be okay with the fact that my brooding, snooping, creep of a brother was here and went through our stuff?" I flinched at the hardness in his voice, but his features instantly softened when he noticed he had frightened me.

"Hey... I'm sorry." He sighed and pulled me in for a hug. "I guess it gets on my nerves when a certain someone always ruins our time together."

"I know how you feel," I pulled away to face Damon, "I don't think he can get over the fact that I'm with you now." I pecked him on the lips and smiled shyly, hoping to take Damon's mind off Stefan's invasion. He smiled back, but it didn't reach his eyes. I suspected something was still bothering him.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"There's something that disturbs me a little too much," he answered as he seemed to be staring off into space.

"What is it?" I asked again, curiosity building by the second.

"The fact that Stefan knew how to get here..." he trailed off.

"Well I'm sure he'd remember how to get here if he's been here before. Why would that be so strange?" I wondered.

"Stefan shouldn't even know this place exists," he stated as his eyes finally met mine. "I've never taken him here before. I built this place with my own hands and kept it so I could bring someone special here with me. I swear, Stefan has never been here before."

That left me wondering just how Stefan could have possibly gotten here. Did I imagine things? Had he followed us?

"Do you think he followed us?" I asked, now voicing my own thoughts.

"It could be possible. I'm surprised I never caught his scent though. He must've been hiding pretty well."

"Do you think we should... ask him?" I mumbled the last few words, not quite knowing how Damon would react. But he surprised me by sounding completely calm.

He sighed. "I guess you could, but don't let him stay here. All his broodiness would irritate me."

I giggled. "I know, just let me talk to him, ask him what's going on."

I walked out of the room and searched for my phone in the living room. When I spotted the small object laying on the wooden table by the fire, I went to grab it but froze in my tracks when I felt a strange presence. Shifting my gaze to the front door, I saw _Stefan_, casually standing outside with his hands in his pockets and a weird look in his eyes. _Jealousy?_

"Damon!" I shouted. He appeared by my side in the blink of an eye, and when he realized I was staring at something, he followed my gaze to the front door where he spotted what had me frozen to the floor. He immediately stood in front of me in a protective stance.

"What are you doing here, brother?" he asked, clearly annoyed by Stefan's presence.

"Wanted to make sure Elena was okay," he replied and glanced my way. I averted my eyes, not wanting to look at him.

"Oh and you think the best way of doing that was to rip apart our bedroom, hm? How kind of you," Damon said dryly.

"That," Stefan paused, "was just because the thought of Elena being with a worthless piece of junk like you, _disgusts_ me. I had to ruin your day somehow." A grin spread across his face, and it pissed me off. I blurred in front of him and slapped him hard across the face with all my strength, causing him to stumble a few steps. He rubbed his cheek with his hand, but laughed it off and before I could respond, he shoved me, sending me flying backwards into the cabin wall and landing on the ground with a faint thud. That sent Damon into a rage as he blurred towards Stefan, throwing him punch after punch, knocking him to the ground. Stefan has absolutely no chance against Damon when he's angry.

"Don't you ever hurt her again!" Damon yelled, kicking Stefan in the ribs. I heard bones crack at the contact, but at this point I couldn't care less.

"Get the hell out of here," Damon threatened, "or you'll be sorry."

He left Stefan on the ground and cast his attention on me instead.

"You okay?" he asked, bringing me to my feet.

"Yeah," I answered as I brushed myself off. "Can we go inside now? I don't want to look at that _garbage_ laying on the ground anymore."

Damon chuckled softly and kissed my forehead. "Gladly."

"You will love me again, Elena!" Stefan called out. "There's only a matter of time before Damon gets tired of you and moves on! But I'll be here, waiting for you."

I scoffed and followed Damon inside without a single glance back at Stefan. We both decided to call it a day, and headed straight for the bedroom. After we cleaned up the pieces of glass from the mirror and put back all our clothes, we climbed into bed, exhausted. I scooted closer to Damon and laid my head down on his chest, feeling the need for comfort after what had happened with Stefan.

"You sure you're okay?" Damon asked.

"Yes. Stefan's just a jerk."

Damon chuckled at my answer before draping his arm across my back.

"Goodnight Damon," I muttered, the weight of my eyelids becoming too heavy to carry.

"Night Elena."

Those were the last words I heard before I let the exhaustion take over. Only one thought circled my mind throughout the night, though. _What the hell is Stefan up to?_

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**A/N: I am so sorry it took so long to write this! Something else kept me occupied throughout the weeks and I almost forgot that you guys were waiting for another chapter! **

**So, I don't really know if this chapter's any good, but again, PLEASE don't hesitate to give me any tips as to things I could try to include, or people that should make an appearance. **

**Bye for now!**

**~Elsa xx**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thank you for all the reviews! **

**Here's chapter 5! :)**

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Chapter 5:

**Author's P.O.V.**

Next morning, Damon headed straight outside and scanned the area. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, he walked back inside to join Elena for breakfast.

"Good morning," he said and kissed her briefly.

"Mmm, morning." She smiled.

"I checked outside, Stefan's nowhere to be found."

Elena breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. I don't want to see him today."

"So do you think he'll come back?" Damon asked as he sipped some blood from his glass.

"I hope not," Elena grumbled. "But you can never be sure with that guy. One second he's gone and then boom - he's knocking on your front door."

Damon chuckled and leaned close to her. "Well let's enjoy the time we have _without_ him. Now hurry up and eat, I've got some stuff planned for us today." He stood up from the table and clapped his hands together, ignoring Elena's raised eyebrow.

"Um... okay then," Elena said as she swallowed the last bite of her toast. "Let's go."

"Not so fast, I just need to gather some things." Damon blurred out of the room and appeared again within a matter of seconds with a backpack slung over his shoulder.

"Ready."

He grabbed Elena's hand and together they strolled out into the forest.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Damon?" Elena called as she dodged a branch that was about to hit her face.

"Yes darling?" He called back, smirking.

"Okay ew, don't call me that. And I was wondering if you could possibly tell me where we're going exactly?"

"No can do, sweetcheeks."

"Please?"

"Nuh-uh. Forget it."

"Please?" she asked again.

"No."

"Come on!"

"Uh-uh!"

"Ugh!" She gave up and folded her arms as she stumbled behind Damon through the sticks and leaves.

Silence hung in the air as Damon stealthily guided them through the twisted paths. Finally they arrived at an open ground, where they would camp out for the night before continuing their journey in the morning. There was even what seemed to be a firepit in the middle of the area, so they could easily cook food. Elena headed straight for the woods in search of firewood, while Damon set up a tent and made a bed out of the sleeping bags.

"I'm back!" Elena announced when she returned with a handful of wood.

"Thanks," Damon said, "I'm gonna make an early dinner for us, and you can do whatever. Okay?"

"Sure." She smiled. "Where do you want me to put the wood?"

"I'll take those," he replied and kissed her cheek before taking the pieces one by one and placing them by the firepit.

"Did you bring my diary?" she asked as she watched Damon build a pyramid with the wood.

"Yes I did. It's inside the bag that I put in the tent."

"Great, thanks babe."

Damon paused for a moment when he heard her say "babe" but flashed her his signature smirk as he answered her.

"No prob, sweetcheeks."

Elena laughed and zipped open the tent before stepping inside and zipping it back up behind her. She immediately spotted the black duffle bag laying on the bed Damon made and opened it. When she found her diary and a pencil, she opened it to a fresh page and began writing.

_Dear Diary,_

_So much has happened since the last time I wote. _

_Damon took me to a motel on our way to our "surprise destination" to stay a few nights before heading out again. I was exhausted and stiff from being in the car for so long, so I gladly accepted the pit stop. Everything was wonderful until Stefan had to ruin it. _

_He called, practically begging me to come back to him. "I need you Elena." Pfft. Bullshit. When I started showing my feelings for Damon, he sat on the couch almost every day and did nothing but sulk. He barely spoke a word to me until it was too late and I had already made my decision. I'm going to be with Damon... forever. I love him and there's no way Stefan can change that. If he can't accept it, then it's his problem. _

_I told him off though, and I __finally__ told Damon (and Stefan for that matter) that I love him. It felt amazing to let out my emotions and speak the truth for once instead of hiding or covering it up. Damon couldn't have been more shocked or happier about my confession, but Stefan didn't take it so well of course. He accused Damon of messing with my head and putting things in there that weren't true. __God__ is he a jerk. _

_After my heated conversation with Stefan, Damon held me as I slept... and it was perfect in all the right ways. I could sleep like that every night and never get tired of it._

_Next day Damon took me to an amusement park! The lights were beautiful, and they added a peaceful feeling to the night as we sat up in the ferris wheel, watching the stars and fireflies dance in the moonlight. _

_The next morning, Damon and I checked out of the motel and continued our journey. I slept most of the way there, but Damon stayed awake of course, so I forced him to go to bed once we arrived at the cabin. I baked cookies while he was asleep, and tried to get my bag from Damon's trunk only to realize I didn't have the key to get in. So I snuck back in the bedroom and attempted snatching the key that was fastened to Damon's thigh in his __boxers__. Wonderful. Naturally I woke him up, so one minute I'm trying to retrieve the key and the next I'm pinned to the bed with a grinning boyfriend hovering over me._

_Damon made dinner for us when he got up, and then we ate a few cookies and relaxed on the couch by the fire. I actually heard a noise from outside the cabin, but Damon said it was nothing and to just ignore it. Apparently I was right about something feeling off. __Stefan__ had snooped around there. Well, that's what I'm assuming... 'cause the next day when Damon and I spent the day by the lake, Stefan had been inside our cabin and trashed our room! Ass! _

_When he finally showed himself, I confronted him and... slapped him for being such a dick. I never expected him to hit back, though. I was shocked by the action; he actually shoved me into the wall! Damon beat the crap out of him after he had hurt me, and honestly, I was laughing on the inside. I know I might sound harsh, but Stefan has done some pretty stupid shit since we were together. And physically hurting me, crossed the line by a mile. I know I heal quickly, but it still hurt like hell._

_That brings us to today. Damon took me out into the forest that surrounds the cabin; it's quite peaceful out here when you really pay attention to the nature. _

_Right now we're camping for the night. Damon's making an early dinner as I'm writing this, and I seriously can't wait to eat. Obviously I have to have blood too, but Damon's cooking is to die for - no pun intended._

_Well, I guess this brings things up to date. Let's hope Stefan doesn't show up again... But something tells me he won't let go so easily._

_Updates soon!_

_Elena _

Closing the diary and sliding it under her pillow along with the pencil, Elena peeked out of the small window on the front of the tent and smiled as she watched Damon cook the food, and seemed to be humming a song she didn't quite recognize.

"Hey," she greeted and sauntered over to Damon.

"Hey you." He shifted himself to face her and kissed her tenderly for a moment before pulling away and resting his forehead against hers.

"Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?" he asked as he gazed into her eyes.

Elena giggled. "Yes. Thank you though."

"You're welcome," he whispered and locked lips with her once more.

"Well isn't this cozy," a voice said from behind them. Elena and Damon abruptly pulled away and shot daggers at whoever was intruding.

"What the hell do you want Stefan? Just get over yourself and go home. We don't want you here," Elena said and moved closer to Damon.

"Elena come on, you don't honestly believe Damon loves you, do you? He is not _capable_ of love or any other emotion. Just come home with me and we can talk about this." Stefan held out his hand and waited for Elena to respond.

"_Oh my God_ Stefan! Are you even listening?" Elena said exasperated. "I'm not going _anywhere_ with you. _I. Love. Damon._ Not you. Not anymore. Now get out of here before I make you." She grabbed Damon's hand, turned and started walking away.

"Not so fast," Stefan growled and blurred in front of them. He was about to touch Elena but was gripped tightly on the wrist by Damon.

"Touch her and I end you," Damon hissed and shoved Stefan's arm away.

Stefan kept an emotionless face as he watched Elena take comfort by Damon's side as they walked away from him. He thought about how he used to be in Damon's spot; comforting Elena and telling her everything was going to be fine... He wouldn't let her go without a fight.

"I wish things didn't have to come down to this." He grinned to himself and sped towards Damon. Pulling a large vervain dart out from his pant pocket, he stabbed Damon in the back and gripped Elena's arm before speeding away from Damon's unconscious form on the ground, and ignoring Elena's pleas.

When Stefan had stilled, he kept his hold on Elena's arms, trying to stop her squirming.

"Stefan let go of me!" Elena yelled as she shoved at Stefan's chest. She expected him to keep his iron hold on her until she drained herself of energy and stopped fighting him, but instead he released her and held his hands up in a mock-surrender.

"What are you doing Stefan?" Elena asked cautiously, eyeing his every move. Something seemed... off.

"Nothing. Just trying to convince you I am the better choice for you. Obviously Damon's got you brainwashed. There's absolutely no way you'd ever love him without someone messing with your head."

"You've got to be kidding me! I've told you a _million_ times: I LOVE DAMON! _Not_ you! Get it through your thick freaking skull you idiot!" Elena had now shifted from being cautious to furious in a split second. She was still hitting Stefan, yet not surprised when he barely flinched. After all, he did have over a century on her.

"Elena, calm down. You're not yourself, I'll help you." Stefan reached out to soothe Elena, but she smacked his hand away and pointed a finger in his face.

"No. No one is messing with my head. I am 1000% sure I love Damon. You cannot convince me otherwise and I will not stand here and listen to your idiotic theories about what's wrong with me. I am perfectly sane; nothing has been more clear in my entire life. I am _happy _with Damon, and I _love _him with all my heart. Of course I love you too but-"

"You love me _too_? So you mean you like messing with us both, like Katherine did, huh? You wanna be like her?" Stefan interrupted as he slowly began closing in on Elena.

"What? Stefan how can you even say that?" she shrieked and tried to back away. "I am _nothing_ like her! I didn't mean it like that!"

"Of course not," Stefan sneered, "but that doesn't mean you won't become her in the future."

He didn't give her a second to respond. He pounced and pinned her to the ground, laughing maniacally at her attempt of escaping. She kicked and screamed, helplessly trying to avoid what was about to happen.

"Stefan, please! Stop!" she cried, pushing his face away from hers. She couldn't stand to look at him now. All she wanted was Damon. She was hoping he had woken up from his unwanted sleep and tried to find her. He's much stronger than Stefan, so the vervain won't hold him down too long.

"You like this, Elena? Come on, stop faking it. I know you love it." Stefan slid his hands up her shirt, growling as the lust took over. In one quick movement, Elena's shirt had been ripped from her body and was now laying on the ground a few metres away from them.

Elena was still fighting, but was becoming weaker every minute that passed. Tears were streaming down her face as she shivered beneath Stefan. She only hoped Damon could forgive her for not being strong enough to get away.

By now Stefan was unbuttoning his jeans, with a grin still fixed on his face as he watched Elena lie beneath him, tired and barely fighting anymore. She was down to her bra and panties, which made Stefan's desire rise.

"Stefan please. Stop..." she whimpered as Stefan lowered himself onto her and kissed trails down her neck. He ignored her pleas to stop and continued his assault.

"Damon..." Elena whispered to the air. The only way she could get through the pain was if she thought of Damon... His eyes, his face, smell...

"Damon. Damon. Damon..." she chanted.

"Stop talking!" Stefan hissed and roughly pinned her arms to the ground. She winced and tried speaking, but her voice cracked, so it was inaudible.

"You know, I didn't think you'd be this weak. That's definitely a difference between you and Katherine."

A sudden wave of anger coursed through Elena and she mustered up all the strength she could before forcibly throwing Stefan, sending him flying into a tree.

"Damon!" Elena yelled, hoping he would hear her. She staggered to her feet and blurred into the forest, not caring that she was half naked. The only thing that mattered was Damon. She had to find him.

She searched, but unfortunately found herself running in circles. She stopped momentarily to scan her surroundings and listen for any sounds. A sudden snap of a branch instantly sent her speeding through the woods again as she hoped Stefan wouldn't find her.

"Trying to escape, are we?" a voice called out from her left. She slowly shifted her gaze and faced the man she now hated.

"Go away," Elena warned and backed away.

"You're too weak. You won't get too far." Stefan snickered and made his way over to her. Elena wouldn't dare look away. She had no idea what Stefan was capable of now. Something had snapped inside him and there was no going back. He was no longer the man she knew. He's a monster.

"Stefan..." she pleaded before tripping on a large rock behind her. She landed painfully on a jagged rock, puncturing her skin. Since she couldn't get up, her skin couldn't heal. There was no way of escape.

"Elena, are you okay? Here, grab my hand. I'll help you up."

Elena stared, confused as Stefan held out his hand and calmly waited for her to accept the gesture. One minute he was this monster who couldn't be bothered to care about her and now he was suddenly calm and collected. _Hell-to-the-no._ There was no way she was trusting him now. He was probably just tricking her.

"Stefan just go away. Seriously, I don't want you here. Just leave!" Elena shouted as her eyes began to sting, tears threatening to spill. "Please! Just go!"

Stefan's mask of kindness disappeared, and a disturbing smile was now tugging on the corners of his mouth.

He laughed. "I'm not going anywhere." He pulled Elena's leg and laughed once more when she cried out in pain. The jagged rock had cut deeply up her back and she desperately needed blood to heal.

"Stefan, let me go!" She gritted her teeth.

"No. Now... where were we?"

Stefan threw Elena on the ground and roughly kicked her in her rib cage. Bones cracked on impact, earning a howl of pain from Elena. Tear stains were dried on her face, new ones covering the tracks. The agony was almost too painful to even cry over.

"This will be fun, don't worry," Stefan said.

Elena braced herself for what was to come, when the weight was suddenly lifted off of her. She opened her eyes, only to see the back of the man she _truly_ loved. She recognized the raven black hair anywhere.

"Damon..." she murmured. He turned around the moment he heard his name and picked her up carefully off the ground. Elena winced at the movement, since her rib cage was still damaged.

"What did he do to you?" Damon asked when he noticed her condition. Rage radiated off him at the sight: bruises and marks were all over her body, as if she had been thrown around like a rag doll.

"Doesn't matter," Elena mumbled, "go beat the crap out of him. I'll still be here." She smiled a small smile and Damon placed her gently against a large stone.

"You've crossed the line now, brother. Prepare to suffer." Damon pounced on Stefan, throwing punches and kneeing him in the stomach until he doubled over in pain. Stefan waited for Damon to let his guard down for only a second, before grabbing him and throwing him into a tree. A loud thud echoed through the woods as the tree toppled over.

"Is that all you've got? It feels like I'm fighting a princess," Damon growled and charged at his younger brother. Stefan saw it coming though, and swiftly dodged the move.

"I think it's you who needs to step up your game. You're weak," Stefan replied and threw Damon to the ground. He kicked and punched, causing only little damage on Damon's body. But the pressure soon became stronger and stronger, until Damon could barely fight back.

"Stefan you're hurting him!" Elena cried. She ran at human speed towards the battling brothers.

"Ste- Stefan stop! Hey!" She tugged at his arm, struggling to pull him away from Damon. Before another word could escape her lips, Stefan's arm came swinging at her stomach. She gasped and gagged when she realized how she landed. She was hanging. A large, long and thick branch from a tree protruded her stomach; the edge of it clearly visible from the front.

"Elena!" Damon shouted.

"Oh God... Elena." Stefan stumbled backwards in shock.

Damon took Stefan's moment of distraction to his advantage and quickly pinned him to the ground, clamping his hand around Stefan's throat.

"Get out of here. _Now._ You hear me? Or do I need to snap your neck?" Damon asked venomously. Stefan's eyes flickered between Elena's nearly-unconscious body and Damon's eyes. He decided to leave. _But only for a while... _he thought to himself. Damon let go of Stefan's throat and hurried to Elena's side. She was barely holding on.

"Elena... keep fighting. I'm going to get you down from there."

"Mmm... okay..." she murmured.

"This is going to hurt. Badly." Damon carefully placed his hands on both sides of Elena's body and pulled. She cringed at the squishing sound from all the blood and covered her mouth with her hands to muffle her cries. Finally, Damon removed the branch and Elena landed in his arms. He snapped off the branch from the tree and threw it far into the forest.

"Shh, shh. You're okay now, everything's fine," he soothed. Elena nestled her face in Damon's chest and tried to not think about the hole through her stomach. Damon blurred to the cabin and placed her on the couch before speeding away and returning with three blood bags. He opened them and poured its contents in her mouth. As the wound in her stomach and on her back gradually closed, relief flashed through Damon.

"Jeez Elena. I thought I'd lost you," he mumbled softly and tightly hugged her, still careful of her state of weakness.

"Can't get rid of me that easily," she joked. Damon let out a half-laugh and pulled back to kiss her. She responded immediately and laid back to get more comfortable.

Later they somehow ended up in the bedroom. Everything around them disappeared as they made sweet, passionate love to one another. They didn't care whether Stefan was still somewhere in the area or if he vanished off the face of the Earth. All they cared about was that moment, they were reunited; happy.

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"Damon seriously, I'm fine. Can I get out of bed now?"

"Elena, you had a _hole_ right through the middle of your body. I'm not letting you out of bed until you seem... normal again."

"What and I don't seem normal now?"

"Nope."

"This is ridiculous."

"I know. Tell you what, I have an idea as to how you can prove you're normal again." Damon wiggled his eyebrows in suggestion.

Elena giggled and crawled seductively over to the edge of the bed where Damon was standing. "Come here then."

He smirked and happily complied. Elena pulled Damon onto the bed and pushed him into the pillows. She then straddled him and took off her top, before leaning down and capturing Damon's lips. He moaned into her mouth and eagerly kissed her back with equal amounts of passion. He only broke the kiss for a brief moment to remove his own shirt.

"You make me crazy, you know that?" he muttered against the skin of her neck. Elena shivered from Damon's breath, goose bumps crawling up her spine.

"I know," she replied, "but you do the same to me." They rolled over, Damon now on top of Elena.

"You know, if this is going to go any farther, we have to get rid of these." Elena ran her hands down Damon's jeans, making sure to stop by his thighs.

"Ugh," he groaned, "sometimes jeans can be so annoying." He smirked and began unbuttoning his pants. After pulling them off along with his boxers, he returned to his previous position on top of Elena.

"I'm not the only one who needs to get rid of some clothing." He wiggled his eyebrows and did his eye-thing he knew Elena loved. He lowered his head and pulled her panties down her legs with his teeth until they were down to her knees. Then he simply pulled them down the rest of the way and tossed them on the floor. He slithered up her body, ravishing in her skin, loving the soft, silk-like texture. He trailed kisses from her stomach to her neck, around her breasts and up to her ear lobes. She moaned and writhed, arching her back in pleasure.

"Damon..."

"Hmm?"

"Don't stop."

He chuckled. "I don't intend to."

Elena let out a bubbly giggle before claiming Damon's lips once again.

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**A/N: Hope the DE scene wasn't too bad, I'm kinda terrible at setting a mood. :P **

**Again, sorry for always taking so long to update! Chapter 6 is coming soon... I hope.**

**Reviews are appreciated, thank you! ;D **

**~Elsa xx **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: SOOO sorry this took such a long time! D: Next chapter will be up sooner, I promise. **

**So, some of you might think that Stefan was a little OOC last chapter, but I promise that there won't be any intense scenes for a while. This chapter's going to be more relaxed.**

**And by the way, I'm not much of a smut writer... :P I just try to make things romantic between Damon and Elena. :P :) **

**Enjoy the chapter! :) **

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Chapter 6:

**Author's P.O.V.**

"Daamoon," Elena sung as she traced shapes on Damon's bare back. "Wake up."

"Mmmph," he mumbled, half of his face in the pillow.

"Please?"

"Mmph," was her reply again. Sighing, Elena crossed her arms over her chest.

_How am I going to get him up...?_ she wondered. She was sitting up with her back against the headboard, mentally going through a list of things that could practically get Damon to destroy the bed just trying to get out of it. But one idea stuck out.

She quietly slid off the bed and wandered to the dresser on the opposite side of the room, across from the bed. She giggled inwardly before taking two large steps and leaping onto the bed, on top of Damon's back.

"Ow!"

Elena burst out laughing at the look on his face. It was a mixture of pure hatred and confusion, but she still caught the love behind it all.

"What the hell was that for?" he grumbled, annoyed at how entertaining his reaction was to Elena.

"You wouldn't get up!" she replied, a wide grin still stuck to her face. "I didn't wanna wait."

"So you _jumped _on me?" He couldn't help the smile that curled the corners of his lips while he stared at her. She looked so damn cute when she was happy.

"_Yeah_ I jumped on you!" She giggled. "And besides, my goal was achieved."

"And what would that be?"

Elena paused for a second before crawling to him and leaning close, her lips only millimeters away from his. A simple movement forward and they'd touch.

"You're completely awake."

Damon made the first move, capturing her lips for a few mere seconds before he was suddenly kissing air. Puzzled, he opened his eyes, and found Elena standing in the doorway, her back facing him.

"Meet me in the shower," she purred, and made sure to swing her hips as she walked out of the room.

She heard Damon curse under his breath and mutter the word, "Tease," as she peeled off her bra and underwear and stepped into the shower. Not long after she turned on the water, Damon joined her and they took turns washing each other's hair and body.

"You're playing a dangerous game teasing me Miss Gilbert." Damon smirked.

"Well then Mister Salvatore," Elena replied, running her fingers along Damon's jawline, "you'll have to get payback sometime."

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Damon and Elena were sitting on the couch in the living room. Both of them were reading, Elena's legs were on Damon's lap and they were sitting comfortably in silence as the warmth from the fireplace danced on their bodies. It was raining heavily outside, adding a gloomy, dark feeling to the day.

"I'm bored," Elena stated suddenly as she removed her legs off Damon. "Let's do something." She closed her book and set it down on the table in front of her. Standing up, she lifted her foot and nudged Damon with her toes.

"Something you need sweetcheeks?" Damon asked without lifting his eyes off his book.

"I wanna do something."

"Like what exactly?"

"Go outside."

"Now why would we do that?" Damon peered over the book, his eyes in small slits and his head cocked slightly to the side.

"Just, come on." She walked to the door and stopped as she reached the handle, motioning to Damon with her head that she wanted him to follow.

Sighing in defeat, Damon closed his book and placed it beside Elena's, before striding over to her in three steps.

"Wait," Damon paused and held up a finger, "I'm _not _getting my jacket wet." He smirked his crooked smirk as he slowly pulled it off and threw it aside, watching as it landed perfectly in place on the arm rest of a chair in the living room.

"Can we go now?" Elena asked, slightly distracted by Damon's muscular figure. Her eyes traveled up and down his body as she soaked in his perfection. He was wearing a grey t-shirt, leaving his arms bare and begging for someone to touch. The shirt was a _complete and perfect _fit, making him capable of causing any girl who passes to drool - not that it already happens...

Elena was brought out of her stare contest with Damon's chest when he suddenly cleared his throat. She felt herself blush furiously under his gaze, and thanked God it wasn't actually visible. Damon didn't miss it though, he knew that look anywhere.

"So, if you're done checking me out - which is totally not a problem for me - can we go get wet or are you suggesting we do something else?" He waggled his eyebrows and rubbed his hands together, laughing when Elena's eyes nearly bulged out of her head.

"I wasn't _checking you out_, I was simply... _admiring_ your body," she said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, checking me out," Damon pointed out.

Elena scowled and rolled her eyes before wandering down the rocky path from the cabin to the grass surrounding the area. Rain was still heavily falling, soaking them both in seconds as they exposed themselves to the water.

"I am so happy you're wearing a white t-shirt," Damon said enthusiastically. "This just became the best day ever."

"It's not like you haven't seen everything before."

"That just makes it that much hotter." Damon winked and vamp-sped towards Elena, picking her up by the waist and hoisting her over his shoulder.

"Damon! What are you doing?!" Elena shrieked. She didn't even bother trying to get down, she just wanted to see what Damon was up to. She twisted her head to look in the direction they were heading; Damon was taking her to the dock... Why?

"Just felt like taking you here," Damon answered as if reading her mind. "It's peaceful, even though the rain is nearly vision-blurring when you lie down."

"Don't care. Just put me down. Please?"

"Fine." Damon released Elena and let her plop down from his shoulder. She quickly fixed her shirt so it was sitting straight before grabbing Damon's shirt and pushing him down on the dock so she was lying on top.

"I like where this is going," Damon said with a smirk.

"I only used you as a pillow to cushion the fall," Elena replied as she rolled onto her back beside Damon.

"Great. Thanks for that one."

Elena laughed and then shifted closer to Damon before softly kissing his cheek. She smiled as she watched his fake mad-face fade away and turn into nothing.

"Better?" she asked.

"Hmm, getting there," he answered and twisted his head to the side. When their gazes met, they both smiled.

They both laid there, arms behind their heads, on the wet dock together as the rain poured down. Their clothes were so wet it looked like another layer of skin was attached to them. Damon told random jokes he heard in his early days as a vampire, which only made Elena laugh because of how corny they were. After an hour or so, the rain started dying down, before finally stopping and leaving a colourful rainbow in its place.

"This is nice," Elena sighed and looked over to Damon who had his eyes closed.

"Mhmm..." he agreed and opened one eye to peek at Elena. Seeing her staring at him, caused him to open both eyes and roll onto his side.

"Am I seriously that interesting? You're always _staring_. I know I'm hot but _damn._"

Elena chuckled softly and said, "I just enjoy seeing you have fun. I can never get enough of it. I know I didn't know you back when you were human, but when we're together, I can see the little bits and pieces of human Damon there, in your eyes."

Damon clearly didn't expect that answer. But no words could express the overwhelming love he was feeling so he simply repsonded with a tender kiss on the lips. When they parted, they rested their foreheads against each other's and Damon wrapped his arms around Elena, pulling her closer to him. Their clothes were still wet, but in that moment they didn't give a crap.

"So are we going to stay here all day long or are we going inside to dry off and warm up?" Elena smiled and rubbed Damon's cheek with her thumb.

"You go ahead and go inside to dry off," Damon replied as he rubbed the back of Elena's hand with his own thumb. "I have to go back to that campground we were at and get our stuff. It's all still out there."

"Good idea."

"Yup."

Damon stood up and grabbed Elena's hand as she followed. They shared a quick kiss goodbye before Damon took off into the woods and Elena went inside. She immediately went looking for a towel, and when she spotted a soft pink one, she shed her clothes and securely wrapped the towel around her body. She wrung out her hair in the shower and used the blow-dryer to speed up the drying process. When she was done, she headed into the bedroom to retrieve her phone. She turned it on with a press of a button and waited for her home screen to show up.

_'3 Missed calls, 5 New messages' _popped up as soon as the screen lit up. Elena pressed the 'View' button to see who had tried to contact her.

The three calls were from Caroline, Bonnie and Jeremy. All five messages were from Stefan saying how sorry he was about how he acted. _Pfft._ Elena barely believed a word of it. She deleted the messages and then quickly dialed Caroline's number. She picked up on the second ring.

_"Elena?" _

"Hey Care."

_"Aahhh! Oh my God what's been going on?! I know I only called once but you never got back! I was beginning to think you died!" _

"Damon and I have just been... busy."

_"Okay... well I don't really need specific details on that one. I have a pretty good idea what you mean. What else have you guys been doing except for the nasty?"_

Elena giggled at Caroline's tone. "We've just been spending our days together. Going outside, or just staying in bed all day."

_"Aww! That sounds so romantic. You two are actually so adorable. I remember when Tyler and I..."_

Elena tuned out of their conversation as she pondered over the fact that Stefan had been there and if she should tell her. She sighed, and asked with the steadiest voice she could, "Have you heard from Stefan?"

Caroline's voice cut short and there was a small pause on the other end before she answered her friend. _"Why do you ask? Has something happened?" _

"No, well not really... Stefan was here. And he's not even supposed to know this place exists, according to Damon."

_"What?!" _There was a distant voice on the other end, before a click was heard, as if someone had picked up another phone.

"_Elena?" _came Bonnie's voice. _Of course, _Elena thought silently, _They're together. Might as well tell them what happened. Could be good for them to know so they can keep Stefan away..._

"Hey Bonnie," Elena greeted when she found her voice.

_"Tell us everything that happened,"_ they both said simultaneously.

So Elena started from the beginning, telling them about Stefan snooping around the bedroom, shoving her, the whole deal. Caroline and Bonnie sat silent as they both listened to Elena. After she had explained, both girls were shocked.

_"He's gonna pay for this,"_ Bonnie said.

_"Yeah!"_ Caroline chimed in. _"I'm gonna kick his ass!"_

Elena chuckled softly. "Don't worry about it guys. Just, do me a favor?"

_"Anything," _the girls said.

"Keep an eye on Stefan if you see him. Follow him if he seems suspicious. Something was off when he was here... and I can't quite put my finger on it right now."

"_Will do,"_ Caroline replied.

_"Same here. You can count on us,"_ Bonnie reassured her.

"Great. Listen, I'm think I'll call Jer now, talk to you soon?"

_"Yes of course! Have fun, we love you!" _

"Love you too guys. Bye."

"_Bye!"_

Elena clicked the hang up button and pressed her contacts list to get to Jeremy's number when Damon showed up in the room.

"Hey," he said as he he sat down on the bed, "whatcha doin'?"

"Nothing really," Elena answered and looked up to meet his eyes. "I just talked to the girls and told them to keep an eye on Stefan if they see him. Hopefully they can keep him away."

Damon scoffed. "Yeah good luck with that. When Stefan's on a mission, even Sherlock Holmes couldn't track him down. He can be incredibly sneaky."

"We can be sneakier," Elena countered and gave an A+ impression of Damon's smirk. He mirrored her actions before crawling up onto the bed, over to his side.

"Do you mind if I call Jer?" Elena asked.

"Not at all." Damon shrugged. "Take all the time you need."

"Thanks Damon."

"You're welcome." He leaned over and kissed her briefly before she pressed Jeremy's name and put the phone up to her ear.

_Ring... ring... ring..._

_"Hello?"_

"Jer! Hey it's Elena."

_"Oh hey! What's up?"_

"Nothing much really, I saw that you called so I called to check up on you. Is something going on?"

_"No, I was just doing the same. Checking up on ya, that's all. So, how's everything with Damon? Having fun?" _

"Yes. Everything's amazing, I'm having a lot of fun. How's Matt?"

_"Great. We're inside making some- WOAH! Matt!"_ There was a small noise, indicating the phone had been put down.

Elena nearly fell off the bed. Ever since Stefan had shown up, she'd been on alert. But something happening on the other end of a phone... whole other story. She'd go nuts if something happened to Jeremy or Matt.

"What? What happened?" she demanded. "Jer!"

A rustling sound came from other end, before she heard her brother's voice again.

_"Hey, sorry about that..." _Jeremy chuckled.

"What happened?" she asked again, more calmly this time.

_"I was going to tell you that we were making some dinner, but the whole freaking frying pan caught on fire! Seriously Matt you're going to burn this place down!"_ Matt's voice could be heard in the distance, and they both laughed for a good few minutes before Elena cleared her throat, reminding Jeremy she was still there.

_"Oh, sorry. Anyway, I just wanted to know everything was okay. Everything is fine... right?" _

Elena turned to Damon, she could tell he had been listening to the conversation. The look he gave her was pretty much saying 'Bad idea, he'd worry too much. Let him have fun.'

_"Hellooo? Eleenaaa..." _

"Uh, yes, yeah everything's fine," Elena finally said. There was a long silence on the other end, as if Jeremy was deciding whether to believe her or not.

_"Sure, I'll let that slip for now. You wanna talk to Matt?" _

"No, no it's fine. Just tell him I say hi and hope everything's okay. I gotta get going anyway so I'll talk to you soon, alright?"

_"Got it. Love you."_

"Love you too Jer, bye."

_"Bye." _

Elena hung up and laughed silently to herself at her paranoia. After everything that's happened in her life, one little thing like burning food could send her into hysterics.

"I guess Matt can't cook?" Damon's voice brought Elena out of her thoughts.

"He can cook," she answered, "just... not the greatest. He's kind of like me in that way - I can't cook either, but I can bake."

"Well I know _that._ Your cookies were freaking _amazing_," Damon drawled and pinched his fingers together in the air.

"You can say that again! You ate all of them in less than twenty-four hours."

"I swear I gained like five pounds."

Laughing, Elena reached over and pulled Damon's face to hers. After having a wonderfully satisfying make out session to pass time, they both got up and walked to the kitchen.

"You want a blood bag?" Elena asked opening the fridge.

"Sure, pass."

Elena grabbed two bags out of the fridge and tossed them at Damon who caught them with ease before placing them in the microwave.

"So did you get our stuff?" Elena pulled a chair out from the table and sat down.

"No Elena I walked over there, stared at everything for a while and then came back with nothing," he replied sarcastically, earning an eye roll from Elena.

"A simple 'yes' would have been fine, thank you."

"Well you asked a stupid question." Damon pulled the blood bags out of the microwave and tossed one to Elena before tearing open his own.

"Doesn't mean you have to be sarcastic about it," Elena retorted. Her fangs protruded from her gums as she tore at the plastic, sipping on the blood as she watched Damon do the same.

"Please, sarcasm is like my second language," Damon said, licking drops of blood off his lips.

"Well I love you anyway for it." Elena finished off the blood and flashed Damon a fangy smile.

"Mmm, I love you too." He smiled, revealing his own glistening fangs.

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"I don't get why you're covering my eyes."

"Well our little camp-out got ruined because of you-know-who and I never got a chance to make it up to you."

"Damon, you don't have to."

"Well I'm going to anyway. Now just a few more steps... here! Now, you may look."

Damon lifted his hands from Elena's eyes to reveal a blanket, a basket, candles and two glasses with plates.

"A picnic?" Elena asked in awe.

"Mhmm," Damon hummed and waved his hand, gesturing her to get comfortable.

"I kind of wish I wore something nicer," Elena muttered, looking down at her simple t-shirt and jeans.

"Nonsense, you look perfect." Damon sat down beside her and opened the basket. Inside, was a bottle of champagne, strawberries, and surprisingly, spaghetti.

"You brought spaghetti?" Elena questioned, amused.

"Made it myself," he answered and divided it into two portions, giving Elena hers before serving himself. Then he opened the bottle of champagne and poured some into both glasses.

"To us." Elena raised her glass, smiling as Damon brought up his own.

"To us."

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After their little romantic evening, Damon and Elena walked back to the cabin hand-in-hand, laughing and loving life - no pun intended.

Damon headed straight for the bedroom, fixing the bed as he waited for Elena to get out of the bathroom. A few minutes later, she returned and crawled into bed, getting comfortable as she waited for Damon to take his turn in the bathroom. She was nearly asleep when he came back into the room, turned off the lights and crawled in bed beside her. He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her hair.

"Thank you for today," Elena whispered softly, not sure if Damon was still awake.

There was a pause. "There's nothing to thank me for," he murmured.

"Yes, there is. I was happy today, I had the most fun I've had a really long time," she admitted. "I can honestly say, I love every part of you - good and bad. You make me feel whole, and that is what I am thanking you for."

Once again, there was a long pause. Elena was starting to think Damon had already fallen asleep, but he spoke up.

"I love you so much Elena. I'll always be here for you... No matter what."

A tear escaped Elena's eye as she listened to his words.

"I do know that, and I'll never forget it. I plan on spending my eternity with you, and I'm looking forward to our future."

"Me too."

Elena sighed, ready to fall asleep. "Goodnight Damon," she mumbled and grabbed his hand, holding it close.

"Goodnight Elena."

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**A/N: I loved this chapter. Just a DE day, together and having fun. **

**Don't forget to review! Thank you guys so much! **

**I'll try and get the next chapter up faster! **

**~Elsa xx**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hii! :D **

**Thanks for the reviews! :D Please enjoy chapter 7. :) **

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Chapter 7:

**Elena's P.O.V.**

_Dear Diary, _

_Wow. I can't believe it's almost been a week since Damon and I arrived at the cabin. Feels like a much shorter time... _

_Haven't seen Stefan in a while, thank God. I am __really__ not feeling up to seeing him again. When he comes back - which I know he will - I'll go straight up to him and confront him. Why the hell was he being such a jerk? Why did he come here? What did he expect to gain? _

_The questions could go on forever. _

_Meanwhile, I've been really enjoying the time I've had with Damon. I almost feel closer to him, if that's even possible. Seriously, all we have been doing is playing games, laughing, going out for walks, and obviously spending plenty of time exploring each other's body... if you know what I mean._

_That's all I have to say right now, I'll update when something interesting comes up. _

_Elena_

I read over my entry once before closing the small book and placing it on the living room table. Deciding to get up, I silently padded down the hallway to check on a sleeping Damon. I had woken up earlier, but unable to fall back asleep. So I slipped out of Damon's embrace to get something to eat. But after feeling somewhat full, I realized I probably would've woken Damon up if I tried squeezing back into the same position as before. He's a pretty light sleeper. So instead, I found my diary, and curled up on the couch to write another entry.

Peering into the room, I smiled when I spotted my slumbering boyfriend. I tiptoed into the room, to Damon's side of the bed, and leaned down to give him a light kiss on the cheek. He stirred a little, but I managed to slip out of the room unnoticed.

In the living room, I slumped down in one of the chairs and plopped my chin in my hand. I was nearly bored out of my mind.

Suddenly my phone buzzed. _Shit._ My phone was still on the nightstand beside the bed! I blurred into the room, grabbed my phone and ran outside to answer.

"Hello?"

_"Elena? Hey it's Care. Bad news."_

"What's wrong?"

_"Bonnie and I haven't seen Stefan at all. Like, not once. I don't even think he's in Mystic Falls... He could still be out there watching you." _

If I were human, my heart would've stopped beating right then and there. Those were some of the last words I ever wanted to hear. Damon told Stefan to get out of here and to never come near again. But if he's not in Mystic Falls, could he still be lurking around the forests, watching Damon's and my every move? I certainly did not want to find out.

"Well um, how do you know he's not just hiding out in the boarding house?" I asked, my voice shaking slightly.

_"Bonnie and I went over there yesterday after you called. At first we thought he was just out, but when we actually went searching for him... he was nowhere in sight. My advice to you, watch your back. He could be anywhere." _

"Well that makes me feel safe," I replied sarcastically. "I'll call you if anything happens again. Be careful though, just because Stefan isn't there now, doesn't mean he'll stay away."

_"I will. Be safe."_

"You too."

_"Bye 'Lena." _

"Bye Care."

Sighing, I clicked the button to hang up and put the phone in my pocket. But instead of walking back inside, I just stared straight ahead, my mind reeling with thoughts. Where was Stefan? Is he watching me right now? Will he ever let go? Too many unanswered questions were filling my mind...

I suddenly had the feeling I was being watched. I wrapped my arms around myself, not liking the cool chill running through the air. Deciding to just go back inside and be with Damon, I spun around and quickly stepped inside, not wanting to give Stefan any chances to surprise me - if he was even out there.

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding, and silently made my way to the bedroom. I stopped before I made it to the doorway though. The water was on in the shower, which meant Damon was already up. So I continued into the bedroom, to wait until Damon came back. My steps froze as my eyes fell upon the body laying in bed - Damon. But if he was there, then who was in the-...?

My eyes widened, panic-mode setting in. I ran to the bathroom and turned the knob - it wasn't locked. Ever-so-slowly, I opened the door wide enough to slip inside. I studied the shower curtain as I inched closer - no silhouettes showed from the outside. Taking a deep breath, I counted to three in my head before pulling back the curtain. Nothing was there... except for a small flower, standing in the drain. My brow furrowed in confusion as something caught my eye. I reached down and grabbed a white card attached to the back of the flower and brought it closer to my face to read the words:

'_It's not so easy to get rid of me. You'll see me again, and this time I hope you change your mind about us_.'

_No. No, no, no, no, shit. How the hell did he get in here unnoticed? Never mind, I don't even want to think about it._

I crumpled the card in my hand and threw it in the garbage, along with the flower. Not wanting to stress myself thinking about _him_, I quickly entered the bedroom. Laying down beside Damon, I gazed at him as I wondered how someone like him could imagine himself as a _monster_ or someone who doesn't deserve love. He looked so... _human_ when he slept. The thought made me smile.

"You know it's rude to stare," Damon mumbled huskily.

"I wasn't staring I was just... gazing." I reached out and brushed away a strand of hair from his face.

"Yeah well it's kinda creepy if you ask me."

I smacked him playfully on the arm and he smirked before opening his beautiful eyes to look at me. _Man _I could never get enought of looking at those blue eyes. The colour was almost glassy, like looking through a window. But they had such intensity and depth, you could really understand how he was feeling on the inside if you tried hard enough. I'm pretty sure I'm one of the only people who can see that.

"Hello... Earth to Elena..." he mumbled, smirking again when I snapped out of my daze. I felt myself blush under his gaze, and yes - it's not visible when you're a vampire, but Damon knew me well enough to know what I look like when I'm blushing. Great.

"Sorry I just... really love your eyes," I told him, watching his smirk falter a little. He was caught off guard with the answer, I knew that. He shifted closer to me, and I did the same, meeting his lips halfway. It was a sweet kiss, full of love. That was another thing I could never live without - Damon's kisses. Kissing him was like lighting a fire within my body, bringing me to life in a way no one ever has. He could do the most embarrassing thing out in public, but one touch from him instantly brings sparks to the atmosphere. They fly around us until neither can resist the other. It could happen in the worst time possible, but I would never wish that kind of passion away. I intend on feeling this way for the rest of eternity. No one will ever be able to take it away - not even Stefan.

When Damon and I parted, I smiled at him. No words were needed to express our feelings.

"So, how long have you been awake?" he whispered.

"Maybe about an hour or so. But I have something to tell you." I couldn't keep eye contact with him as I thought about Stefan. It felt almost dirty for some reason.

"What's up?" he asked softly and tilted my head with his finger.

"Stefan isn't in Mystic Falls. Caroline called earlier and told me neither Bonnie nor herself has seen him. Not even once."

"Maybe Barbie and Witchy didn't look hard enough. Stefan likes to snoop around. He's probably just hanging out in a dark alley somewhere brooding."

"That's another thing I wanted to mention," I added. Damon's eyebrows rose, awaiting the news I was about to speak.

"Stefan's been here."

Damon's face hardened. "What do you mean, 'He's been here'? You mean inside the cabin?" His voice rose slightly. I could tell he was alarmed by it.

"Yes. He was somehow here between the time I went outside and came back in here."

"Wait woah, rewind. You went outside?"

"Yeah but only to answer my-"

"Elena," Damon interrupted, "you can't go outside by yourself. If he was so close, he could've hurt you! Why did you go out?"

"Well I was _going_ to tell you that I went out to answer my phone, but you interrupted me." I glared at him and he rolled his eyes.

"Oh whatever. Why was he in the cabin, to steal your bra and sniff it while he sleeps alone?"

"Ew, no I certainly hope not. Thanks for the imagery Damon." I shuddered at the thought and made a mental note to check all the drawers when I get out of bed.

"No problem." Damon chuckled softly. "Anyway, back to the reason he was in here."

"Right," I breathed. "He was in the bathroom and he-"

"Okay woah," Damon cut in once again, "I don't need to know details as to why he went to the bathroom. I know vampires don't need to... you know. But uh yeah. Spare me the details on that one."

"Can you let me finish for once?" I snapped, shooting him another glare of annoyance.

Damon raised a hand in surrender. "Sorry sweetcheeks. Continue."

"Thanks..." I sighed. "He left a flower and a card in the shower. At first I thought you were awake when I heard the water but when I walked back in here I found you still asleep in bed. So I went back to the bathroom and pulled back the curtain. In the drain, a flower was standing there with a little white card attached to it. It read: It's not so easy to get rid of me. You'll see me again, and this time I hope you change your mind about us." There was a long pause. I studied Damon's features, trying to figure out what was going through his head. I instantly knew he was angry when his eyes hardened and his muscles tensed in his jaw. He was trying hard to not kill something.

"Listen to me Elena," he said, keeping his voice steady, "I won't let him near you. If you stay with me at all times, he can't touch a hair on your body without going through me first."

I felt my bottom lip tremble. Fighting back tears, I closed the distance between Damon and I by tucking my head under his chin and flattening my palms on his chest.

"Do you think he'll ever let go?" I murmured in his chest, letting a single tear fall from my eye.

"If he doesn't, he'll have a _wonderful_ time spending his days alone," Damon replied. I laughed a little at that. Even in the most depressing days, Damon can always get me to laugh with his humor. But I couldn't help but think about Stefan's note. When was he going to show his face again?

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"Alright, so we've spent like the whole day in bed. Let's go out for a walk or something, I'm bored."

"Damon, I thought you were the one who told me not to go out?"

"I said _alone_, not in general. You're allowed to go out, I just have to be with you."

"You sound like a father."

"Gross. That thought seriously makes me want to gag."

"You're welcome."

Damon and I were in the kitchen making brinner (breakfast for dinner). Damon was in charge of making the toast and eggs while I handled everything that went on top of the food. Spices, jams and jellies were stacked on the counter as I watched Damon cook expertly.

"So if we were to go out for a walk, where would we go?" I asked. "Just around the area or somewhere specific?"

"Well, we could go back in the woods," Damon said as he flipped the eggs, "although I think you've had enough of that creepy place for a while. We could go walking down the road, see if we find anything interesting?"

"That sounds great." I grinned and kissed his cheek, causing a faint smile to appear on his lips.

"Good," he said. "Now let's eat. Brinner, is served." He put the eggs on two plates at the same time the toast popped up out of the toaster. I grabbed them and placed them beside each egg and quickly got the butter out of the fridge. Together we sat down at the table and silently ate our food. When we were done, I helped Damon put the dishes in the dishwasher and then went to the bathroom to wash my hands.

"Hey Elena," Damon called from the kitchen.

"Yeah?" I called back.

"Do you wanna bring anything with you on our walk?"

"Nope, all I need is you."

Damon suddenly appeared behind me and whispered in my ear, "Good answer." I smiled and turned my head to kiss him.

"You ready to go?" Damon asked as I brushed through my hair a few times.

"Yup," I answered, putting the brush down. "I'll just go grab a sweater."

Damon was suddenly gone and back in a flash, holding my sweater in his hand. "Here you go."

"Thanks." I grabbed it and put it on, before making my way to the front door. I spun around right before stepping outside and gave Damon a look.

"What?" he asked.

"You comin'? You're like a mile behind me."

He laughed. "Okay that's kind of exaggerating a little." I rolled my eyes. "How about this then?" he asked, grabbing my hand and intertwining our fingers together.

"Better." I smiled. Damon smiled back at me and we both strolled outside into the evening air.

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"Elena, there was something I wanted to ask you."

"Okay, shoot."

"What do you want to do about this whole... Stefan thing. Like, I know you don't really feel like talking about him, but you have to see him at some point to figure out what his twisted mind is up to."

"I'll call him when we get back... Is that okay?"

"Yeah that's fine. Just don't get him thinking you're into him again. He takes everything _way _too seriously. Trust me."

"Got it. No major hints." I giggled. Just then my phone vibrated. I stopped and retrieved the phone out of my pocket, looking at the name display.

"Who is it?" Damon asked, moving his head closer to look at the screen.

I sighed. "Stefan. He sent me a text." I clicked the 'Open' button and braced myself for anything he could've possibly written.

'_Enjoying your walk? Better stay close to Damon, there could be many mysterious things in the forest_.'

Okay so that freaked me out. I was gaping, unable to form words at the message I had received. Was Stefan... threatening me?

"You okay?" Damon's voice snapped me out of my momentary daze.

"Um, yeah. Just... look at the message." I shoved it into Damon's hand and brought my hand up to my forehead, now pacing the dirt road we were walking on.

"Don't be scared of him. That just eggs him on. Seriously, he probably just sent it to you by accident. There's possibly a cute bunny somewhere in the woods with a name that begins with an E. Poor thing doesn't have any protection from badass Damon." Damon winked at me before continuing. "Now come on, the sun's beginning to set." He motioned down the road with his head. I contemplated following him, and when he held out his hand, I couldn't resist. Drawing in a breath, I reached out to grab his hand with my own. He pulled me closer so my arm was now hooked in his, and it made me feel somewhat safer than before. As long as we don't get separated from each other, everything would be fine. But of course nothing ever went how I wanted it to.

_Crunch, crunch, crunch..._

"Damon," I whispered, "what was that?"

Damon twisted his head both ways to look around us and dramatically whispered, "What was what?" I unhooked my arm and flicked him. Damon just laughed.

_Crunch, crunch, SNAP._

I knew Damon had heard _that_. He stilled, as if he was trying to focus on something. His eyes then widened, and he put both hands on my shoulders.

"Elena, I need you to stay here. I can smell Stefan, I just can't tell exactly how far away he is. Stay put, and I'll come back in a few minutes. If I don't return in 10 minutes tops," he paused as he reached in his pocket and pulled out his keys, "take my keys, run to my car and drive as far away as you can. Don't let Stefan catch up to you. There's something... _off_ about him..." Something seemed to suddenly click in Damon's mind. "He's on human blood again," he realized.

I shuddered at the memories of Stefan as the Ripper. "Well that's just fantastic," I grumbled, throwing my arms up and dropping them at my sides again.

"Here, take them." Damon put his keys in my hand and took off before I could mutter another word. So I sat down cross-legged in the middle of the road, not caring if I got my pants dirty. Sighing once again, I started playing with the dirt. I scooped up a handful of it from the side of the road and divided it into two little piles on my palms before letting it rain down onto the road again in a waterfall of sand. I began to collect a pile of little stones when my phone vibrated in my pocket.

'_Lucky you. Damon knew I was here... yet he didn't know my exact position. You know, this cabin really is a great looking place by the way. Have fun finding me._'

I was already on my feet running by the time I read the whole message. Since Damon and I only walked down the road, it was easy to find my way back.

Finally the cozy-looking cabin came into view. I gulped, cautiously taking steps forward. I kept my eyes on the small window on the side of the cabin as I inched closer to the door. The curtains were closed, but they were a light colour. If anyone walked by, their shadow would be clearly visible. I focused on my hearing when I came to the door; someone was looking through papers... or pictures.

I took a deep breath before opening the door. At first I thought Stefan would immediately grab me and take me somewhere but when I got inside, he was just casually sitting on the couch, holding a glass with a thick dark substance in it, most likely blood.

"I see you got my message," he said, taking a sip from the glass.

"What do you want?" I crossed my arms tight over my chest, acutely aware of the fact that Damon was probably still outside searching for Stefan, and now me.

"Well, I actually just came here to talk, but if you have something else in mind, by all means... tell me." Stefan had this wicked glint in his eye that made me want to gag. Who was he trying to be? Damon? Well sorry to inform you Stefan but Damon is a hundred times better at making innuendos than you. Case closed.

"What did you want to talk about? Just get it over with so I can go find Damon."

"Come here. Sit." He patted the cushion beside him on the couch and I shot him a glare. He sat there with this smug grin on his face that made me want to go over there and slap it off of him.

"Fine," I grumbled. I sat down the farthest away from him and waved a hand, gesturing he better start talking.

"So, first I wanted to say I'm sorry about hurting you."

_Pfft. It's too late for that. Another pile of bullshit has been unloaded everyone! _

"You have to understand that sometimes my emotions get out of hand, and I can't quite control them. Kind of like when you first become a vampire. They can be overwhelming at times and no matter how hard you try you just can't seem to control anything..."

_Alright get to the point here. Tick-tock. _

"But anyway, I want you away from Damon."

_And there it is. That's what you came here to say? Sorry but no-can-do. You know, you have __the__ thickest skull ever. How many times do I have to explain this to you? _

"Elena?" Stefan was suddenly closer to me now, about to touch me. I must've been so lost in my insults towards him I didn't notice he stopped talking.

"Stefan..." I scooted backwards, "what can I say? You were always there for me when we were together and helped me through difficult situations. I really did love you, honestly. But like I told you before, somewhere along the way we fell apart. Something in our connection broke and I will not be sorry for loving Damon. He is the best thing I've had in my life in a long time. He makes me feel complete... like nothing could ever break us. Can't you understand that?" I slowly reached out and grabbed his hand. At first he seemed uncomfortable, but after he saw the look of sincerity in my eyes he relaxed.

"I just don't want you to make the wrong decision. Damon's never been capable of generally _loving_ someone for who they were. What happens when he throws you away when he's bored?"

"That won't happen," I snapped. Stefan was now getting in that dangerous territory where he talks crap about Damon.

"How do you even know? You can't tell the future Elena!" His voice was raising.

"You know what Stefan?" I ripped my hand from under his. "It was a bad idea coming here. I want you out. Don't come back until you have a new brain 'cause I think yours is fried."

Stefan let out a chuckle. "You've really been spending too much time with Damon. You even _sound _like him now."

"Oh boo-hoo Stefan. Get used to it." I made my way to the front door before opening it and pointing outside with my thumb. Stefan stayed in his spot for a moment before placing the glass down on the table and trudging closer to me until he was standing in the doorway.

"Don't think this is the last time you'll see or hear from me," he whispered menacingly. "Maybe next time, that little flower and note will be sticking out of Damon's _chest_. You've been warned... Think about us, or pay a consequence. Your choice."

With that, he vanished.

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I was frantically searching for Damon. After Stefan left I freaked out a little and ran back to the spot Damon left me. Then just darted into the woods. But everyone knows my sense of direction sucks. So I had to rely on my hearing and other useful senses.

"Damon?" I called, then listened for any sounds. "Damon? You out there?" Still no reply.

"If you're playing a game this isn't fun-" Someone grabbed me from behind. I kicked and screamed, hoping it wasn't Stefan back for revenge.

"Elena! Hey it's me!" I immediately recognized the voice. _Damon_. I spun around in his arms and came face-to-face with those familiar blue eyes. Throwing my arms around him, I couldn't keep the happy tears from spilling. I was so relieved to see him.

"What happened? I was afraid you wouldn't return!" I rubbed his cheek with my thumb and he smiled.

"Of course I'd come back. But when I left, Stefan found me right away and stabbed me with vervain. A big dosage too. It kept me down for a while and when I got up I went looking for Stefan again. Did he get you?"

"Actually," I sighed, "I got _him_." Damon looked confused so I continued. "He sent me a message a few minutes after you left and said 'Nice cabin you got here' or something like that. So I knew he was there. I ran back and found him inside drinking blood. We talked about some... stuff regarding our relationship. But that was it." I swallowed thickly, trying my best to keep the threat part out.

"Elena..." Damon threw me that I-know-you're-hiding-something look.

"What?" I asked, averting my eyes.

"What is it you're leaving out? Did he hurt you?"

"No! H-he threatened me... telling me he'd hurt you."

Damon scoffed. "What did he say this time? '_Oh Elena if you don't love me I'll kill all the little bunnies in the woods along with Bambi. Oohh I'm so scary!'_ Seriously, a rabid squirrel is scarier than Stefan ever could be."

I giggled but turned serious as I told Damon what Stefan had said. "He said the next _message_ he sends me could be sticking out of your chest if I don't think about our relationship. Damon I can't let him hurt you."

"Oh please. Steffie can't even get close enough to stick something in my chest. I was always better at being stealthy."

"Can you be serious for one minute?" My eyes were stinging again, but this time it was out of fear and frustration.

"Alright." Damon sighed and kissed my forehead. "Listen. Stefan can't get that close to me. Today I was just caught off guard, but that won't happen ag-"

"What if it does?" I exclaimed, the tears now streaking my makeup.

"It won't," he reassured me. "Trust me on this. We will do this together. I will not let him hurt you. Got it?"

I nodded.

"Good," he whispered. "Now come here." He leaned down and captured my lips. I let out all my pent up frustration in the kiss and got lost in his touch. The next moment I opened my eyes we were back in the cabin, in the bedroom. Clothes were shed and scattered across the floor, moans and groans erupting from our lips. All I knew was I was never letting Damon go. We were in this together; forever... And Stefan was an idiot if he thought he could ever tear us apart.

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**A/N: Alright, what did you think? ;D **

**If I haven't mentioned this before, Stefan's supposed to be annoying. ;)**

**Share your thoughts by reviewing! Thanks!**

**~Elsa xx**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I had major writer's block on this one. ._. Like I knew exactly where I was going with the story, I just didn't know how to get there. **

**I'd also like to give a shoutout to kaybaby1127 - thank you for reviewing each chapter so far! I really appreciate it. :) **

**Without further ado, here is chapter 8. And just a small warning... this chapter might be intense for some people. :$ **

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries. It belongs to L.J. Smith and the CW. **

**xxxxxxxxxxxx**

Chapter 8:

**Elena's P.O.V.**

Damon and I sat by the dock, arms wrapped around each other as my toes dangled in the water below. The weather was dull and grey; it looked like it was going to rain... which would ruin my day. I mean, I guess it would be fun being stuck inside with Damon all day, but he knows I'm more of an outdoor person. Not to mention a tad claustrophobic.

I peered over the edge of the dock and wiggled my toes, smiling as I felt surprisingly happy - carefree. But that feeling soon vanished when something started moving under the water. My enhanced sight could indentify the object as a hand.

I sat frozen in shock, startled by the disturbing discovery. My feet were still in the water, but I couldn't find the strength to lift them.

"Damon there's-" I reached up to grab his arm when I realized nothing was even there. I turned around, only to find an empty space where my boyfriend was sitting just a few minutes ago. Where did he go? I couldn't think of all the possibilities.

I quickly sprung into action, deciding to go look for him - that place was alarmingly creepy when you sat alone - but something caught hold of my ankle, and I yelped, frightened by the cold, wet hands against my skin. I tugged, hoping the hand that belonged to the unknown stranger would let go. But my pulling only made things worse. The hand tightened its grip, bruising my delicate skin in attempt of keeping me in place. I made up a simple plan of escape in my head... And I swear if I were human, my heart would be beating a thousand miles a minute.

I leaned forward slightly and reached down with my right hand, grabbing hold of my ankle. With one yank, I was released and I breathed out weakly. The hand suddenly darted out of the water and gripped my wrist, pulling me forward with such force I couldn't keep my balace... and I fell head-first into the cold depths of the lake.

I came to the surface spluttering and screaming, waving my arms around like a maniac in my frantic cry for help. I was pulled underwater again, this time deeper than before. I struggled to break free, clawing at the hand wrapped around my wrist before I found myself face-to-face with the attacker.

_Stefan. _

My mouth opened on impulse to let out a shriek of terror... but nothing came out. The water muffled my cries and I wanted to throw a tantrum as I thought about the possibility I would never see Damon again.

Stefan's eyes were sparkling with cruel joy as I wriggled around. He suddenly opened his mouth, releasing the most bloodcurdling laugh I ever heard - which confused me. How was he making sound when I can't even scream?

Stefan's chuckles halted, his eyes turning a dark red, along with his pupils that became endless black holes. Blue and purple veins surfaced his skin around his eyes, the tips of his fangs glistening in his mouth. Then he lunged, giving me no chance of movement as he tore through my skin. I closed my eyes tightly, knowing it was impossible to escape him. Now of course I knew I wouldn't die and never come back - I'd probably sink to the bottom of the lake and then wake up half an hour later in frantic search of air - but the thought of dying still freaked me out.

I opened my eyes at the sound of pure silence. Stefan was gone... I was alone.

I shot up from bed gasping. My chest was heaving and I could feel the cold beads of sweat dripping down my forehead. My head snapped to the side, finding empty sheets beside me. _Strange, _I thought.

When my breathing calmed I quickly grabbed a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, hoping that if Damon was still in the cabin he wouldn't find me before I destroyed the evidence of my nightmare.

I hopped in the shower, carefully scrubbing every inch of my body and making sure to wash my face. After getting out, I dried myself off and pulled on my clothes. I looked myself over in the mirror; I was oddly pale and there were dark circles under my eyes. I opened my makeup bag and pulled out my concealer. I had bought it months ago but never used it. _Thank God I never gave it away._

I remembered reading tips on getting rid of circles... I need a brush.

I dug through my bag, letting out a small sigh of glee when I found one. Now the instructions had said to apply the concealer to the brush, and then paint an upside down triangle, starting from the inner corner of my eye before going down beside the nose.

I neatly did as instructed, effortlessly gliding the brush against my skin.

The next step was to then move the brush up into an angle to the outer corner of my eye.

I did as remembered before filling it in and blending it with my finger. I put the makeup back in the bag, now looking for my foundation. I applied some over the concealer and then a small amount of mascara before looking at my work.

_Can't even notice it,_ the voice in my head said proudly. I smiled, and then headed for the kitchen. Damon wasn't in there, and I didn't spot him in the living room. This was getting weirder by the minute.

_Don't worry about him, _my subconscious tried convincing me. _He's just out doing something. He'll be back. _

I wondered what he was up to, but shrugged it off and opened to fridge to get blood. There were only 3 bags left... Maybe Damon was out getting more?

After satisfying my hunger, I wandered around the cabin for a while, finally taking notice to all the little knickknacks on the shelves and the pictures of Damon's past in the hallway. The one that caught my eye was the last picture sitting on the wall by our bedroom door. It was a portrait; there were two little boys with their arms around each other in a brotherly embrace, smiling with no cares in the world. One had dark hair, while the other had light. It struck me that the boys were in fact Damon and Stefan when they were little.

I lightly brushed my fingers across Damon's face, smiling as I imagined what he would've been like if I'd met him back then, along with Stefan of course. I got so distracted I barely felt the fingers on my waist.

"And what are you doing?"

I jumped and spun around. My eyes met with a pair of icy blue and I gasped.

"I was just- I was... um," I stuttered. Damon's eyes lit up in amusement and I cleared my throat, finishing my sentence. "I was looking at the portrait." I took a few steps to the side to show Damon and I watched as he studied it, looking as if he were recalling memories from his childhood.

"My mother painted this," he murmured, running his fingers across the edges of the frame. "I don't even remember why or when I put this up here."

"It's beautiful," I commented. Damon glanced back at me for a moment before sweeping a finger across his painted face as I had done earlier and then turning around to fully meet me.

"Not as beautiful as you are," he said as he grabbed me, swinging me around like in the movies and kissing me sweetly. He placed me back down when we parted and grabbed my hand.

"Come on, let's go outside. It's really nice out there."

Damon led me outside to the grass where we laid down beside each other, arms behind our heads with our eyes closed. I think I fell asleep, because when I woke up Damon was staring at me, smiling warmly when I blushed.

"Hey," he said softly. I melted at his voice.

"Hey..." I smiled. "How long was I asleep?"

"About 45 minutes or so. You started talking in your sleep, that's why I was watching you."

_Crap. What did I say?_

"Did I say anything... interesting?" I asked, swallowing nervously. Damon watched me intently before he suddenly laughed and shook his head.

"No, not really. You said my name though. It's always nice to know you dream about me." He smirked and waggled his eyebrows, earning a giggle from me in response.

"I don't even remember my dream. I hope it was amazing," I sighed dramatically. Damon moved closer to me until our lips were almost touching.

"Me too." Then he crashed his lips on mine. I pulled him closer until he was on top of me and I moaned loudly, desire beginning to creep into my veins. He lifted me into a sitting position before he pulled my t-shirt over my head, kissing down my neck to the valley of my breasts. He was being agonizingly slow and I couldn't take it anymore. I grabbed a handful of his shirt and blurred inside, throwing him on the bed before joining him.

"Needy, are we?" he asked, smirking that oh-so-sexy smirk. I groaned and tackled him, clearly catching him off guard. He flopped on his back and gazed up at me, lust and love shown on every inch of his face. I undid two of the buttons on his shirt before my inner animal took over, ripping the rest of the way down.

"Oh come on, I liked that shirt!" Damon complained.

I giggled. "You can get a new one. Are you really prioritizing your shirt over me?" I pouted and he laughed.

"No, now come here. A man's got needs too."

"Needy, are we?" I echoed his words from before and he growled in response, flipping us over so he was once again on top. He ran his fingers up and down my sides as he attacked my lips. It still amazed me how he could be so distracted by me yet at the same time can get a pair of jeans off me - I can barely remove my bra when he's around - but then again, he has had _a lot_ more experience.

Before long, I was lying beneath him in a bra and panties. I pushed him off me for a moment, flipping us over so I was straddling him.

"I'm pretty much naked and you're still in jeans. How is that fair?" I stuck my bottom lip out and Damon chuckled.

"Why don't you do me the honors then?" He smirked and raised his hands above his head, surrendering his ability to undress himself. I don't know why it made me so happy to have the chance to slowly torture him but I was loving it. I undid the button on his jeans and slowly pulled on the zipper. Damon groaned in annoyance and I mentally patted myself on the back; that was easier than I thought.

I almost had one of his legs free from the jeans when Damon flew out from underneath me. I heard the small thud of the material hitting the floor on the opposite side of the room and I licked my lips in anticipation, keeping my eyes on Damon. He was studying me, like a predator stalking its prey.

"You _really_ know how to torture a man Elena," he said almost breathlessly.

"Oops." I giggled. He gave me a I-will-get-you-back-for-it look and then pounced. His hands were suddenly everywhere at once and his bare stomach on mine felt like heaven. His arms snaked around my back to reach the clasp of my bra and with one expert maneuver it was tossed to the floor with the rest. A small part of my brain remembered my shirt was still outside. _Get it later. More important things are lying on top of you._ I smiled at my thoughts and brought Damon's lips back to mine. The only thing keeping us from what we really wanted at this point was the material covering our lower regions.

"Are you... going to... take your... boxers off... or what?" I breathed in between kisses. Damon broke the kiss to answer.

"Why don't you take them off for me?" He winked. I bit my lip and lightly ran my fingers down Damon's sides, holding his gaze the whole time. Then I slipped lower until my fingers felt the waistband. Hooking them inside, I gently pulled his boxers down and threw them aside, too distracted to even care where they landed.

"Your turn," Damon whispered and mimicked my previous movements. The moment my last piece of clothing hit the floor, I was lost in a world of passion.

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As I stood in the kitchen cutting peppers for dinner, my train of thought landed back at Stefan. His words kept echoing in my head, louder each time. What the hell was I supposed to do? There's no way I'm going to just ditch Damon and be like, _"So long! Nice knowing ya!" _

Yeah I don't think so.

I'm actually so confused as to why Stefan can't just accept I'm with someone else. Damon may be his brother but he makes me happy and feel loved, cherished... important. Like, I can't even properly express how I feel around Damon.

As if on cue, two warm hands wrapped themselves around my waist before reaching up to caress my arms. They traveled lower until they reached my wrists. A familiar feeling tingled my scalp and I paused, placing the knife on the cutting board. Something was off; his arms looked slightly different, paler with lighter hair. My eyes caught a glimpse of the ring on his finger; instead of the beautifully fonted silver 'D' shining back at me... there was an 'S'.

The colour drained from my face as I tried keeping myself in control. Where was Damon? How did Stefan get in unnoticed? Was he here to kill me? Thank God my heart couldn't beat erratically, it would've given me away right then and there.

I swallowed nervously, contemplating if I should shove Stefan and make a run for it, or just surrender. His hands were still gripping my wrists, so it would be a difficult escape. But wait - the knife! I can't exactly kill him with it - unless I behead him but I could never do that to Damon of course.

Slowly and calmly, I picked the knife back up, noticing immediately how the body behind me tensed. I picked out another pepper from the plastic bag beside me and started cutting it in half. After fully slicing through it, I decided to make my move. I gripped the knife, swinging it from below, puncturing Stefan's leg. He released my hands as he howled in pain. I took my chance and bounded out of the kitchen. I spotted my cell on the table in the living room and I grabbed it before whipping out the door. My gut was telling me Stefan wasn't far behind. It doesn't take long for a vampire to remove a knife from their leg, not to mention heal.

I ran down the road. Stefan would probably think I'd head into the forest and get lost, but I had my own ideas. I let my vamp-speed kick in, taking me to a large cliff at the end of the road. _A dead end... Wonderful. _It was too high to jump so where was I supposed to go now?

I looked from left to right, trying to find an easier path to head in. The left path looked like it was completely straight, yet there were branches and roots sticking out from every direction. To the right, the path was more twisted but clearer - I would be less likely to trip.

Quickly making up my mind, I started down the twisted dirt path leading who knows where. After a while I found myself in the middle of the forest. Stefan was nowhere to be seen, and it brought me some relief. I sat down cross-legged on a large rock conveniently sitting in the middle of the ground and pulled out my phone from my pocket, clicking the home button. Fortunately I still had battery left, but I had absolutely no reception. There were too many trees blocking the signal.

I cried out in frustration. Why must everything go wrong once Stefan steps in the picture?

Goose bumps suddenly appeared on my arms, warning me an unwelcome presence stood behind me. I uncrossed my legs and steadily placed them on the ground in front of me. _You have to run, you can't sit still. Go! Run! _I don't know if that was my common sense talking but I couldn't help but listen. A mental countdown was happening in my head, waiting for the perfect moment to make a run for it.

_Three... two... one... GO! _

I sprung to my feet and ran into the woods. This time there was no path to go by so I knew deep down I would most definitely end up lost in there with Stefan. It was beginning to get dark outside too which didn't exactly keep me calm, even though I can see perfectly fine as if it were still daylight.

I was looking behind me every two seconds, expecting someone to be chasing me. Obviously I haven't watched enough scary movies to know never turn around. There was always something in front of you when you least expected it.

I was abruptly cut off from my escape when I ran into something hard. It almost felt like I just ran into a brick wall and I fell backwards, landing unceremoniously in the dirt. I didn't need to look up to know who it was though.

"Hello Elena."

"What the hell do you want Stefan?" I hissed. "Just leave me alone!"

I was gripped rather viciously by the arm. "I'm not letting you go anytime soon. Have you thought about what I said?"

I scoffed and shook my head. "You know I'll never leave Damon. I've made my choice and it's time you move on. What have you done to him anyway? He would've killed you in the cabin before letting you touch me again."

"Oh why don't you ask him yourself? But I must warn you, he won't be able to answer." Stefan laughed wickedly and stepped aside, letting the moonlight shine down through the trees. I shifted my gaze from the ground when I caught a glimpse of the shadow a few metres in front of me. My breath caught in my throat when I realized they were feet. _No... please no._

"Stefan," I murmured, tears pricking my eyes, "what have you done?"

"I did what needed to be done," Stefan said as he knelt down beside me and placed his hand on my leg. "Damon was in the way of our love and he had to be disposed of."

"You bastard!" I yanked myself from his grip and stood up. I followed the shadow to a nearby tree where I found his shoes, his jeans, jacket... and him. I choked on my sobs as I touched Damon's face; it was an ashen grey, the veins surfaced in his neck and all the way up. A wooden stake was sticking out of his chest and I lost it completely.

"Damon!" I cried, letting the tears consume me. I shakily pulled the stake from his chest and threw it away, catching Damon's body as it fell.

"No... Damon." I sobbed in his shirt as I cradled his body to mine. I failed him, I let Stefan get to him... It should've been me.

"There, there." Stefan's voice brought me out of my tears. I was no longer sad, oh no... Be prepared to die Stefan.

"Don't you dare touch me!" I yelled, finding a new courage inside of me to fight back.

"Oh I'm so scared." He waved his hands around before taking a few steps forward. "Come on, my car is just by the cabin. I'll take you back to Mystic Falls and we can figure this out together."

I closed the distance between us in two strides, hissing venomously to his face, "I will _never _go anywhere with you. I would rather die than be with you again. Go die in hell Stefan."

Stefan's demeanor seemed to falter for a few seconds before his hand shot out, breaking my arm as I turned to walk away. I shrieked in pain and fell to my knees, righting my arm before my head shot up to where he was standing. Except he wasn't there. _Can he stop with the disappearing act already?!_

My head snapped from side to side, trying to find him. _Maybe he left. Here's your chance, grab Damon and get out of there. Now! _

I stood up and walked back to Damon's body, willing myself to keep from breaking down until we got back to the cabin. I had just gotten his arm around my shoulder when I was hit from behind. I fell forward, my grip on Damon released again. A hand grasped my shoulder and spun me around so I was lying on my back, my eyes meeting with the cold, green pair.

"You said you would rather die, right?" Stefan revealed a stake from beind his back. "So be it."

I felt a sharp pinch in my chest before everything began fading. My sight became a mixture of colours and my hearing turned into nothing but a high-pitched ringing. Then... it all went black.

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I woke up suddenly, rays of sunlight shone through the window of the room. Wait, didn't I die?

I looked at the spot beside me, finding it empty again. _Maybe everything really did happen..._

Then I heard someone call my name.

"Elena, you awake?" Damon!

I hopped out of bed and gathered some clothes from my drawers before pulling them on. I barely got my arms through the sleeves of my shirt when I came face-to-face with the source of the voice. There, in the kitchen was Damon. He was wearing a black button-down shirt with his dark jeans, along with a towel slung over his shoulder as he stood there cooking what looked like pasta sauce.

"Hey, I'm making pasta for lunch. You okay?" he asked, placing the towel on the counter. "You look like you've seen a ghost." Oh if only he knew.

"Damon..." I whispered. Tears welled up in my eyes as I remembered the nightmare. It felt so _real_, I thought he was gone forever.

"Elena," Damon said softly, "are you okay?"

I couldn't form words. I flung myself in his arms, wrapping my legs around his waist. He stumbled backwards a few times from the sudden weight but eventually wove his arms around me in a way only he could. I breathed in Damon's scent, happy tears flowing down my cheeks.

"You're alive," I murmured against his neck. "You're here..."

"Of course I'm here," he replied, kissing my temple. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Doesn't matter. You're here, just hold me."

Damon chuckled softly. "No problem."

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"So are you going to tell me about these nightmares you've been having?"

"Damon I don't know..."

"Come on, just talk to me. It's not like I'll laugh. Whoever makes my girl cry is a deadman."

I hesitated momentarily but caved when I could see the concern in his eyes. After I finished explaining he looked extremely pissed. I don't think I've ever seen him _that _angry.

"He's been in your head," he told me, meeting my worried gaze with his own.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"No one can be in a dream like that for so long without waking up. In the first one you were being attacked underwater; I think anyone would wake up as soon as they hit the water. And in the second one you'd probably wake up when you found my uh... body. A normal person could go into shock if they weren't woken from the trauma. But a vampire can keep you in your dreams longer since they are the ones controlling your mind. I should kick myself for not staying in bed with you... Maybe I could've saved you from seeing all that."

"Damon," I reached out and put my palm on his cheek, "it's not your fault. Stefan just has some serious issues he needs to figure out."

"Well he better figure them out now. I need you well-rested for certain activities we do." He smirked and did his eye-thing. Ah, my Damon has returned.

"Okay then." I giggled. "You ready to go to bed?"

"I thought you'd never ask," he purred.

"You know that's not what I meant."

"A man can dream."

We both laughed as we walked to the bedroom. We took turns in the bathroom getting ready before climbing in bed. Damon looked almost wide awake, but I was exhausted.

"Damon?" I whispered in the darkness.

"Mmm?" he hummed in response.

"Hold me, please. I can't fall asleep without you."

Damon shifted closer to me, nestling his nose in my hair and draping an arm over my chest. He brushed his fingers against mine and I grabbed his hand, taking comfort in the warmth of his skin.

"Thank you," I mumbled, hoping he could hear me.

"You're welcome," he replied tiredly. He kissed my shoulder once before resting his head against mine.

That night I slept without dreams or nightmares. The only thing there, was the sweet intimacy between Damon and I as we slept together peacefully. My mind worried if it was the last time we'd get to do so. I had a plan about how to deal with Stefan but I'd probably hurt Damon emotionally in the process. I only hoped he could forgive me after this was all over.

The next morning I showered, dressed and got my phone. Stepping outside while Damon took his shower, I dialed Stefan's number.

_"Damon already throw you to the curb? I hate to say I told you so." _

"Cut the crap Stefan," I snapped. "We need to talk."

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**A/N: I AM SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG. **

**I hope you don't hate me... :$ **

**Please review this, so I know you like it! I'm going to try and be quicker with the next chapter so bear with me! **

**Love you all! :** **

**~Elsa xx**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Ahaha you guys didn't think I'd really kill Damon did you? ;) Trust me, he's one of my favourite characters; there's no way I'd kill him. **

**School's been really stressful and I had major writer's block on this one as well. I apologize deeply for updating so late. I love you all so much. :** **

**xxxxxxxxxxxx**

Chapter 9:

**Elena's P.O.V. **

_"Damon already throw you to the curb? I hate to say I told you so." _

"Cut the crap Stefan. We need to talk."

He snorted before he replied, _"Why else would you call me?" _

"Well it definitely wouldn't be to tell you I changed my mind about us." I scoffed. "I called because I want us to talk face-to-face. Tonight. There are some things I need to straighten out."

_"And what does Damon think about this little meeting of ours?"_

"He doesn't know." I played with the hem of my shirt as I paced the grass. "He'd do everything in his power to keep me from seeing you if he knew you were here."

_"Tsk-tsk, Elena. Sounds like someone's being sneaky." _I could almost see the sadistic smile on his face and I felt like reaching through the phone to slap it off him.

"So what if I am?" I quipped. "I love that Damon cares enough to stop me from doing stupid things but _this_ I have to do alone. Just show up so we can talk, then you may return to your miserable, brooding life."

_"Whatever." _The little emotion left in his voice had vanished and I knew something I said had gotten to him. _"I'll be there at let's say... 2 AM? Great, see you then." _Then the line went silent.

I shook my head as I slid my phone in my pocket. One minute he was a big jerk and couldn't care less about anything, and the next he acts as if I've hurt his feelings. Talk about sending mixed signals.

I was about to walk inside when I heard _his _voice, and I welcomed the smile that always seemed to appear when he was around.

"Elena?"

"I'm here," I announced, stepping inside and closing the door behind me.

"You alright?" Damon asked, raking a hand through his damp hair. "You look..." his eyes roamed over my small form before landing back on my eyes, "jumpy."

"I'm fine," I assured him, striding across the room to meet his lips in a lingering kiss.

"Well now I'm convinced," he breathed, smiling against my lips as we stood there in the living room together.

"Good." I smiled up at him, getting lost in his eyes. "Breakfast?"

"Mm, sounds good." Damon closed his eyes for emphasis of his hunger and I couldn't help but giggle.

"What?" he asked, joining me in a short laugh.

"Nothing." The corners of my mouth twitched slightly as I tried stifling my grin. "You just look cute when you do that."

"For your information," Damon said, extending a finger in the air, "Damon Salvatore does not do 'cute'. Sexy, gorgeous and irresistable are all traits of mine but never cute. It makes me sound like a pansy. Plus it ruins my reputation."

"Oh don't worry Damon, your reputation has already been _vaporized_," I drawled, patting him on the chest lightly before sighing dramatically. "But hey," I winked, "you'll always be my cutie pie."

I left him gawking as I headed for the kitchen, my bursts of laughter echoing through the cabin when he flashed behind me and grabbed me by the waist, swinging me around before ferociously attacking my stomach with his fingers in attempts of forcing me to take my words back. But I never gave in... which somehow led to us making out for a full ten minutes.

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"Eleenaa..."

Damon and I were lying on the bed; my cheek against his unfortunately covered chest and my face nuzzled comfortably in his neck. I remembered finding Damon in our room after we ate breakfast reading a book, and I laid down beside him so I could listen to him as he read aloud. I guess I fell asleep and shifted in my sleep. As I groggily opened one eye, I realized my arm was thrown across his body along with one leg.

"Mmph," I finally managed to mumble, bringing my sprawled hand to my face to rub the sleep out of my eyes.

"Well _finally_," Damon teased. "I've been trying to wake you up for hours."

"Hours?" My eyes widened in alarm and I dug my phone out from my pocket to check the time. It proved Damon was indeed telling the truth.

"If you were at this for hours I think you would've succeeded earlier," I said, pulling myself to a sitting position before reaching over and placing my phone on the nightstand.

"Are you kidding? You're harder to wake than a _rock_."

I shot him a glare before falling back into the pillows, letting out a heavy sigh. "So what do you wanna do today?" I asked, turning my head to face him.

"Hmm," he propped himself up on one elbow and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, "I can think of a few things."

I swatted his arm. "Do all your thoughts eventually lead to sex?"

"Yup," he replied, popping the 'p' as he spoke.

"You're disgusting."

"I know."

I turned on my side and mirrored Damon's actions from before so we both held our heads in our hands. "Is it nice outside today?"

Damon twisted his head to the side and I recognized his look of concentration; I figured he was listening for sounds.

"It's raining... again," he then told me, kissing me once on my cheek before pulling me onto his lap. I smiled and rested my head on his chest again, soothed by the slow rise and fall of his chest.

"Maybe we could bake!" I beamed up at him, the sudden idea eliciting a smile to my face.

"Then I'm doing it this time," he announced before I could continue.

"You don't have to, I can help-"

"No," he cut in, "it's okay. I'll bake something for you and you can just lie here and relax. You've had a tough few days."

"Thank you," I murmured, brushing the pad of my thumb on his cheek. Damon leaned down and kissed me for a few moments, before pulling away.

"Don't come out of this room until everything's baked to perfection. Got it?" He pointed sternly at me and I held my hands up in a fake surrender.

"Understood, sir!" I grinned.

"Ugh." He grimaced before he spun on his heels and headed down the hallway. "Don't call me that!"

"Okay cute pie!" I called after him, rolling over in the pillows to muffle my laughs when I heard him scowl in disgust at the name.

When I heard him pick out bowls and utensils, I immediately began searching the room for something to do. Finally after five minutes of rummaging through all the drawers, I found _Call of the Wild_, _Anne of Green Gables _and surprisingly... _Twilight_.

I giggled at the image of Damon trying to read _Twilight_ without scoffing or cursing the very existence of the author who created the series. I remembered when I read the book for the first time; I thought it was intriguing and like every girl out there, imagined having someone like Edward Cullen for a boyfriend. But after meeting Damon and Stefan, and learning about vampires and what's included in the package, the books were nothing but a fantasy world to dream about when things got tough.

I placed _Twilight _back where I found it and picked up _Call of the Wild _instead. I crawled back on the bed and sat cross-legged as I opened the book to the first page. I made it through three paragraphs before my subconscious started talking to me.

_It's too quiet and you're too energetic. Put some music on; you're perfectly capable of multitasking by listening and reading at the same time. _Great thinking, voice in my head.

I rose from the bed and walked to my suitcase, unzipping the front pocket to find my iPod and the dock tucked inside. I skipped back to my nightstand and plugged the dock in, connecting the iPod after. I scrolled through my strange variety of songs before settling on a song by _Mariah Carey_. I knew the song would either bother Damon to an unbearable madness or turn him on. Either way - it would be hilarious.

The soft vocals began and I waited patiently for Damon's reaction, already knowing he'd be dying to burn the sound of it out of his head.

I_ know that you been waitin' for it, I'm waitin' too_

"What the..." I heard Damon mutter from the kitchen. _I've caught his attention._ I smiled.

_In my imagination I be all up on you  
__I know you got that fever for me hundred and two  
__And boy I know I feel the same my temperature's through the roof_

"Oh God..." Damon's voice rang in my ears again and I giggled, trying hard to hold my focus on the book in my hands.

_If it's a camera up in here  
__Then it's gonna leave with me when I do, I do  
__If it's a camera up in here  
__Then I best not catch this flick on YouTube, YouTube_

"This is killing me."

_The worst hasn't come yet. _The voice cackled devilishly in my head.

_'Cause if you run your mouth and brag about this secret rendezvous  
__I will hunt you down  
__'Cause they be all up in my business like a Wendy interview  
__But this is private, between you and I_

_Touch my body, put me on the floor  
__Wrestle me around, play with me some more  
__Touch my body, throw me on the bed  
__I just wanna make you feel like you never did_

_Touch my body, let me wrap my thighs  
__All around your waist, just a little taste  
__Touch my body, know you like my curves  
__C'mon and give me what I deserve and touch my-_

I felt the cool whoosh of air before my ears could realize the music had been turned off. I smiled triumphantly, knowing Damon wouldn't have lasted long listening to _Mariah Carey_ - not to mention the provocative song choice.

When I heard the sound of the utensils against the bowls once more, I reached over and tapped my iPod to life, unlocking the screen before opening my music and scrolling through all my songs again. This time I had to choose something romantic - or sappy as Damon calls it. I almost gave up searching when my eyes landed upon a song I nearly forgot I had. I remembered searching and downloading this song the moment I heard it, as I was entranced by the smooth vocals and melody.

_I've come to tell you all the truth_

I strained my ears and listened for sounds in the kitchen; I heard the electric mixer running before it halted abruptly, as if the lyrics of the song had suddenly caught Damon's attention.

_Though you always had the proof of it  
__My arms will grow, chest expanding  
__Of all the boys you could have landed  
__Why'd it have to be me_

All was quiet in the cabin. By now my concentration on the book had slipped completely and I couldn't care less about the words expressed on the pages. I just needed to know what Damon was thinking at the moment; what he was feeling. The first time I listened to the song on the radio, I was merely enjoying the sound of it. I never truly _listened _to the lyrics or their meaning behind them. But now, as I sat on the bed waiting for Damon's response, it occurred to me that the song almost exactly described his buried feelings.

_You...can't take my eyes off of you. ...You...can't take my eyes off of you_

I heard the soft padding of feet down the hall and I knew Damon was coming. But for some reason, he wasn't using his vampire speed.

"Elena."

My head snapped up from its downcast position and my eyes met with Damon's. He looked almost vulnerable, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. A small gasp escaped my lips on its own accord, taken aback from his unusually emotional state.

"Damon." I unfolded my legs and slid off the bed. "Are you okay?" I gingerly approached him, reaching out to brush my fingers on his face but decided against it and settled for his arm.

He brushed past me and my arm resided back at my side as I watched him cross the room to pull my iPod out of the dock.

"This," he gestured to the device in his hand with a bob of his head, "is toture."

A look of confusion crossed my features and he let out an exasperated sigh. "Just don't play any music through the speakers - I don't want to hear it."

He reached out and cupped my hand in his, dropping the iPod in my palm before retreating back to his baking. I leaped onto the bed and laid down on my back, my chestnut hair sprawled around my head like a mane. I stared at the shiny white music device in my hand for a moment before I got off the bed again to find my earphones. I dug through my suitcase, finding nothing but lint and extra clothes. I sighed as I mentally retraced my steps from the time I had them. Then I recalled leaving them at home; one of the wires attached to an earpiece broke off and listening to music in only one ear annoyed me beyond belief.

I held a hand to my forehead in frustration. _Great, now I can't even listen to music. _

"Hey Elena," I heard Damon say from the kitchen, "_it _is almost done. You'll be able to come out in about ten minutes so don't go wrecking the room oh Warrior Princess."

It made me smile that his mood changed so quickly. Usually he'd keep quiet until I'm almost forced to pry a sentence out of him, but maybe this time since the situation was nothing to make a fuss over, he let it go.

"Whatcha thinkin' about?"

I was brought out of my little reverie by the tall, dark and handsome vampire leaning on the doorframe, his arms crossed at his chest.

"Oh, uh nothing," I lied, turning my body towards the door. I walked closer to him, only inches between our lips. "What are you thinking about?" I tilted my head to the side teasingly, knowing already by the look in his eyes he wanted exactly what I did.

"I think you know," he spoke finally, his eyes darkening with obvious lust. I leaned forward, expecting him to do the same. But instead, he held a finger to my lips, a smirk gracing his lips.

"Five more minutes, then you may have your way with me." He did his eye-thing and waggled his eyebrows, the sparks in his eyes dancing playfully.

"Five minutes? I can deal with that." I tugged his collar, pulling him in the room all too easily. He obviously didn't want to deny my intentions.

"I thought the point of the five minutes was you had to _wait_, not drag me in here to assault me." He chuckled. I pushed him down on the bed and raked my hands up his abs before removing his shirt completely.

"I'm giving you five minutes to do whatever you want with me right now. You wanna wait and we stop this altogether, or do you want to have fun?" I asked as I straddled him, my hair falling down, creating a curtain around us.

"Five minutes?" he repeated, his hands already finding my hips.

"Five minutes," I confirmed.

"Well then," he flipped us over and pulled my top over my head, "challenge accepted."

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I lay awake in bed, staring at the time on my phone. Bold white numbers displayed 1:55 AM, and I couldn't get a minute of sleep. Damon lay beside me with one arm tucked under the pillow and the other wrapped around my waist; I couldn't find the courage to lift his arm and get out of bed, since there was a likely chance I'd wake him.

Truth is, I had one thing - or should I say _person _on my mind... and that was Stefan. As my mind wandered back to the conversation I had with him earlier, I remembered he said he'd be at the cabin at around 2 AM, and the moment I had to face him was only minutes away.

I twisted my head to check on Damon - he was still sleeping like a rock, but he looked adorable and it made me smile.

I gently lifted his hand and then placed it behind me before slipping out of bed. I grabbed a thin, long sweater that reached halfway down my thighs and pulled my arms through the sleeves, then padded down the hallway and swiftly opened the door to escape outside.

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding and took in my surroundings. The sky was a stained blue; dark blue in most areas until it flushed into a lighter shade, where the sun would rise in about an hour.

"It's nice out, isn't it?"

I whirled around and found Stefan leaning against the side of the cabin with his arms crossed in a way I've seen so many times before.

"You're here." It was more of a statement than a question.

"Of course." He unfolded his arms and held them in the air as if he'd taken offense. "I told you I'd be here. So," he gestured to himself with both of his hands, "here I am."

I sighed. "We should go somewhere a bit further away from the cabin. If Damon wakes up, he won't be happy." I slowly made my way towards the dirt road and paused for a moment only to look back at Stefan.

"Come on, I know I place we can talk."

He seemed taken aback from my words, as if he expected me to be a cold-hearted bitch to him. _My name isn't Katherine..._ I grumbled to myself.

Eventually he followed and soon we were seated on two large rocks in the middle of the forest. Honestly, I knew how to get there by heart only because Damon had taken me there before to uh... you know.

"So," Stefan broke the silence, "what did you want to 'straighten out'?"

"Yes, well um..." I mumbled. I had planned a whole speech and practiced it until the words repeated themselves in my head, so why was it so hard to just _spit it out_?

"Well...?" Stefan tilted his head forward, motioning me to go on.

"Here's the deal Stefan." I swallowed heavily as I gestured between the two of us. "You and I... will _seriously _never work again. Before we broke up, you were always distant and never talked to me. Part of being in a relationship with someone is you trust your partner enough to _talk t_o them and tell them if something is bothering you - which you never did! I tried multiple times to get through to you and force you to open up but instead you fled the scene and went hunting for hours! And that left me alone with Damon, which built our relationship more."

"I already knew something was going on with you two!" Stefan exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air. "I never wanted to open up because I knew we'd just end up fighting! And I knew if I kept quiet long enough, you'd break up with me. I just didn't expect you to move on to Damon so quickly." He crossed his arms over his chest and pursed his lips, obviously done with his little outburst. As for me, I sat there dumbstruck, unable to come up with a response. How could he say something like that to me?

"Then why did you call me at the motel if you already knew this would happen?" My brain finally managed to form a sentence, and it was a damn good one.

"Everything I said to you was true! I came to my senses after you had left with Damon and I realized I still needed... need you in my life." He reached out and brushed my cheek once with his knuckle and I shuddered at his touch. It was colder than I remembered and made me feel slightly uneasy.

"Stefan I think you need to move back."

"What?"

"Move back!" I shoved him a little and he stumbled backwards, causing him to fall off the edge of the stone.

"By the way," I snapped, feeling a deep enragement within me that I needed to let loose, "I don't appreciate my mind being played with in my _sleep_! Don't ever enter my dreams again, you hear me?" I was now hovering over him, an extended finger pointed accusingly at the ex-lover on the ground.

His face had a look of confusion before realization hit him and his features darkened. "That was just a warning." He stood up and brushed away some dirt on his jeans. "All that stuff could happen in reality, and you know I'm perfectly capable of doing something _drastic_." A twisted-looking grin crept up on his face and I had to restrain myself from letting out a whimper. I couldn't let him know I was freaked out by him now, that would make me look weak.

I focused my thoughts on Damon and what he would do in this situation. _Fight - or make a run for it. _I think I'll go with option number two.

"Well," I took three large steps backwards and pointed behind me with my thumb, "I think it's about time you leave. Now get out of here, before I make you."

Stefan chuckled loudly before he sped in front of me, only inches between our faces. "But my plan has only begun."

"What? What plan? Stef-" Before I could speak any more, Stefan had already jabbed a vervain dart in my back, and I fought hard to stay conscious. But only minutes after I felt the burning sensation of the vervain in my system, I blacked out completely, and was unaware of the pale arms carrying me to a car, before they opened the back door and slid me inside. Or the ruffling of a fake note in someone else's handwriting, as they read over it once before blurring to the homey-looking cabin and leaving it on the doorstep for a sleeping vampire to find when he awoke. And I was completely unknowing to the roaring of a car engine, and the sound of tires against the dirt road before they sped away into the early morning.

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**A/N: I seriously hate making you guys wait this long. *peers up from desk ashamedly* I hate myself for this.**

**The songs in this chapter: Mariah Carey - Touch My Body, Cary Brothers - Can't Take My Eyes Off You :)**

**IMPORTANT: It will take me a while to update. I'll be going to a wedding soon, and directly after I'm headed for Canada to visit my dad. I will definitely try and write as much as I can when I have the time, otherwise it'll take a few months for me to post another chapter. **

**Reviews are appreciated! Thank you to all who reads! **

**~Elsa xx**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hi! So it seems I am capable of updating faster than I thought. :) **

**You guys need to review more so I can find inspiration to write better chapters. I really do appreciate your opinions. **

**IMPORTANT: I have rewritten most of the other half of this chapter. If you have read the old version then please read the new before continuing to chapter 11. Thank you. :) **

**Love you all! :***

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Chapter 10:

**Author's P.O.V.**

Bright rays of sunlight shone through the windows of the Salvatore boarding house as Stefan sat by the fireplace, sipping a glass of blood. He stared at the lapis lazuli glistening on his finger, his mind seeming to be far away. He thought about the events of the previous days and his plans for the future... But with those thoughts came the memories of seeing Damon together with Elena as they laughed and kissed. And it angered him.

Stefan fought the jealousy that crept up inside of him as he downed the rest of the blood in his glass before slamming it down on the table, a satisfying sound of a crack echoing in his eardrums. He quickly stood up and began to pace the floor, as he sorted out his jumbled mind.

"Stefan?"

His head snapped up the moment he heard her voice, and his green eyes met with the confused doe eyes belonging to his ex-girlfriend.

"Elena." He approached her slowly, and she flinched, taking a step back up the stairs.

"What am I doing here? Where's Damon?" she asked, her eyes darting in every direction as if expecting Damon to be hiding in a corner.

A sly smile crossed Stefan's lips, but it vanished just as soon as it had appeared. "Damon's not here," he answered, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He watched as Elena's brow furrowed in bewilderment before she opened her mouth to speak.

"Why am I here then? I want to go back!"

"You're not going back." Stefan pulled out a piece of wrinkled paper from his back pocket and handed it to Elena. "Damon doesn't want to see you."

"What? What do you mean?" Elena sniffled softly as she grabbed the paper from his hands and hastily smoothed out some wrinkles so she could make out the words.

_Elena,_

_By the time you have read this letter, I'll probably be gone. _

_What we had was great, and I'll always love you. But a piece of me has always loved Katherine, and I feel it wouldn't be fair to be with you when I can only think of her. Please don't try and find me; it will only make things more difficult. _

_I've left the cabin for you, to go back to whenever you feel you need to get away. _

_I hope you find everything you want in life and maybe, just maybe we'll meet again in 100 years or so._

_Don't get killed sweetcheeks, _

_Damon_

Tears made their way down Elena's face as she read over the letter. She brushed her thumb over Damon's name, along with the pet name he gave her, and felt a small water droplet hit the page, smudging the 'on' from Damon's signature just slightly.

"No..." she whispered, a hand coming up to cover her mouth in disbelief. "No!" She had enough time to crumple the material in her hands before she was flying up the stairs to Damon's room. As she locked the door behind her, she leaped on his bed and buried her face in the soft pillows, willing herself to be numb to the pain; to block it out and keep calm. But nothing could hold it back. It felt like her whole world had shattered and left her to pick up the pieces. Her insides felt knotted and she sucked in air as her mind tried to wrap itself around the idea of Damon leaving her for Katherine. _Katherine. _She couldn't, wouldn't believe Damon did this. Not now, not after all they've been through. He promised he'd never leave her! Promised!

She stayed there, muffled sobs echoing through the empty room as hours passed, and she remained balled up in her fetal position. She was lying facedown with her eyes closed tightly, fists balled up in the white sheets, grasping the silky material with such force she thought she'd torn through it. When she suddenly felt the weight shift on the bed, that spark of hope flared inside of her, and she looked up, wanting, _needing_ to find the raven-haired mystery man she'd met on the bridge hovering over her to tell her she was just having a nightmare. But instead, as her eyes fell upon the intruder, she only found Stefan sitting by the edge of the bed, with a glass filled with what her senses recognized as blood, in his hand.

"Hey," he spoke softly, "I brought you some blood in case you're hungry." He slid closer to Elena and reached over her, placing the glass on Damon's nightstand. "I'll be downstairs if you need me." He brushed his fingers across her leg softly, nodded once, and disappeared out the door.

Elena listened until he was back in the parlor, before she jumped off the bed to lock the door once more. She broke down again as soon as she turned to face Damon's room, and she buried her face in her hands as she slid down until she met the cool, wooden floor.

"Damon," she called out to the room, silently hoping wherever he was he could hear her, "why? Why did you leave me?!" Her voice cracked as another round of sobs wracked Elena's body. She let it take over, not wanting to feel, not wanting to live. She thought Damon was happy with her - hell she knew it! All those nights they would lie awake, talking about sappy romantic stuff they'd force each other to do, or just declaring what they loved about the other... It must've meant something to him. He wouldn't have said all those loving words to her, or kissed her adoringly if he only wanted _Katherine_. It just wasn't right.

Elena ended up passing out on the floor from exhaustion, and was tucked in Damon's bed by Stefan, as he kissed her once on her temple and left her to rest.

Stefan seated himself back on the couch downstairs. His plans were in motion. But the human side of him hated what he was doing: he was hurting Elena. Writing the fake letters to Damon and her was only fairly dreadful; but he knew he was doing what was best for Elena. Damon didn't deserve her love. He just... wasn't compatible with someone as pure and compassionate as her. _She_ deserved to be with someone special; someone who respected her choices and would be there for her... Someone like himself.

Stefan chuckled and grinned in the emptiness in front of him. Damon would once again know what it's like to have his girl stolen from his brother.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Elena tossed and turned in her sleep, flashes of memories from days before playing like snippets of a movie.

_"By the way,_ _I don't appreciate my mind being played with in my sleep! Don't ever enter my dreams again, you hear me?"_

_"All that stuff could happen in reality, and you know I'm perfectly capable of doing something drastic."_

_"Get out of here, before I make you."_

_"But my plan has only begun."_

_Before I could speak, Stefan had already jabbed a vervain dart in my back. _

_Vervain._

She jolted upward in the bed, her memories now clear as day. How dare Stefan stab her with vervain and take her away? Who the hell does he think he is?

She threw off the covers and flung open the large mahogany door, silently making her way downstairs. She didn't want to see Stefan, she only needed her best friends. But her phone was still at the cabin with Damon... _Damon. _

Elena held back the tears that stung in her eyes as she scurried to the front door and out into the rainy night. She was suddenly painfully aware she was only in her pajamas, but walked out anyway in her bare feet. Using her vampire speed, she blurred to Caroline's house and knocked loudly on the door before taking a few steps back to calm herself. After what felt like forever, a sleepy, messy-haired blonde vampire trudged to the door and unlocked it before peeking outside.

"Elena?" she croaked, her voice heavy with sleep. "What are you doing here it's three in the mor-"

"Oh, Caroline." Elena flung herself in her friend's arms and held on for dear life. Caroline was clearly taken by surprise, but soon recovered and wrapped her arms around her best friend in a warming embrace. She led Elena inside and they sat on Caroline's bed with cups of tea and a bag of popcorn - a tradition the girls made when one of them needed comforting.

"I'll call Bonnie," Caroline told Elena and quickly retreated to the kitchen. She dialed Bonnie's number and waited for her to pick up.

_"Caroline this better be important. I'm exhausted." _

"Come to my house, now. Elena needs her best friends."

_"Is she okay? Is she back?" _

"Yes, and I don't know. Just get over here!"

_"I'll be there soon." _The girls both hung up and Caroline walked back to her room where Elena sat silently with her cup of tea, a blank expression crawling over her features.

"Elena," Caroline sat down in front of Elena and put her hands on her knees, "what happened?"

Elena stared straight ahead and refused to speak. Long, quiet minutes passed before three knocks were heard throughout the house.

"That's Bonnie," Caroline said. "I'll go get it." She whisked away and Elena could hear the front door open before two hushed voices began whispering to each other.

"I came as fast as I could. Is she okay?"

"I don't know, she won't talk. She _threw_ herself into my arms when I opened the door so it must be serious."

"Elena?" Bonnie appeared in the bedroom and crawled onto the bed, Caroline following not far behind. She mimicked Bonnie's movements so the three girls now sat in a triangle.

"What happened Elena?" Bonnie asked, laying a hand on her shoulder. Tears welled up in Elena's eyes, her lips beginning to quiver. Caroline and Bonnie looked at each other once and nodded, knowing the three of them would most likely be up all night. After moments of prying and begging, Elena could no longer hold in her emotions and she proceeded in telling them everything that happened. From all the fun and happy moments with Damon to where it all got ruined... to now. Damon didn't want her, and Stefan kidnapped her.

"I can't believe he would do that to you," Caroline said, popping a piece of popcorn in her mouth.

"Yeah, Elena," Bonnie chimed in. "I thought Damon had changed. Guess I was wrong."

"But it can't be true!" Elena exclaimed, throwing her arms in the air. "He wouldn't do that to me!"

"Written letters don't usually lie," Caroline responded, taking a sip of tea. "And I think Stefan did this for your own good. He probably knew what Damon was feeling and wanted to save you from the heartbreak. Although his tactic of taking you away lacked the feeling of safety."

"But he said he had a plan!" Elena shook her head as she sipped from her mug. "I just don't know what it is."

"Elena," Bonnie started, her voice gentle and calm, "I think his plan was to bring you here... so you wouldn't find out about Damon's _thoughts_ the hard way. Maybe, if you spend a little time with Stefan - just as friends - you'll feel better. You know I never really supported you and Damon together after all that's happened, but I could see he made you happy. _This_," she waved her hands around as a gesture to the situation, "just crossed the word 'trustworthy' off my list of Damon's characteristics and I think you should forget about him for a while."

Caroline scoffed and gave Bonnie an amused look. "You keep a list of Damon's characteristics?"

"Shut up."

The girls giggled and Elena felt just a tad better. Maybe Bonnie was right. Maybe if she spent a little more time with Stefan, and put the past behind her, she would feel better, and be able to move on.

"Alright," Elena sighed. "If you two help me through this, I'll stay and hang around Stefan a bit more. But you have to promise you won't try and call Damon." She nearly choked on his name but quickly covered it up with a small smile.

The witch and vampire glanced at each other once more before they nodded in agreement. "Deal."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A month passed and Elena was still as miserable as ever. She explained to everyone why she was back in Mystic Falls the simplest way possible and ignored the 21 questions thrown at her. Jeremy returned from his vacation with Matt about two days after Elena arrived and was far more than concerned. He kept asking if she needed anything or if he could track Damon down and kill him, but Elena declined his offers every time. Ultimately he backed off, knowing his sister just needed time to heal.

She stayed cooped up in Damon's room for two weeks, doing nothing but crying and sleeping until Bonnie, Caroline, Matt _and_ Stefan gathered at Damon's locked door to plead for her to come out. She ignored them at first, but later gave in when she concluded it would make things more difficult if she tried shutting the rest of the world out. So she decided to start hanging out with her friends during the days; they would go to the movies, sit in the park or just sit down somewhere and talk. Stefan later joined in the group, but Caroline and Bonnie were hesitant in hanging around him - they were both aware of what Stefan had done to Elena - but after seeing him prove himself worthy to start being around them, they accepted his apologies. Soon he and Elena were very close friends - past put aside. They hung out together in the afternoons, and talked to each other during classes when school had started up again. Summer was only a few weeks away, and Elena planned on having a good time. If that included having Stefan in the picture, then so be it.

She did in fact notice that Stefan seemed happier than usual. It almost looked like he was proud of himself for some reason, but Elena couldn't be bothered to even to ask him why. She knew he was on human blood and that it could change his mood, so maybe she was just being paranoid?

After the third week of still living at the boarding house, Jeremy begged Elena to come back and stay with him at their home, which she happily complied to. She felt deep down that she needed to spend more time with her little brother. He started kissing her goodnight and making her breakfast every morning, and Elena would help him with the dishes and his homework from school. They made that their routine every day, and soon Elena could hardly remember the heartbreak she had experienced only one month ago.

Through all the drama in Elena's everyday life, Damon somehow still managed to invade her thoughts. Random memories and flashes of kisses they shared would play in her head, and she would sit in her room doodling in her spare diary all day, just to save the special moments that always seemed to stick out. She'd even cry from time to time as she looked at them all and traced Damon's drawn face and cheek bones with her fingertips.

One late afternoon, Elena lay on her bed reading as she plucked grapes off the sticks and popped them in her mouth. When the phone she borrowed from Caroline suddenly started ringing, she reached for it and clicked the green button before holding it up to her ear.

"Hello?"

_"Hey Elena, it's Matt. Why don't you come to the Grill in a bit? I wanna show you something." _

"Sure Matt, I'll be there in ten." Elena smiled and hung up, throwing her legs over the side of the bed before standing up and walking to the bathroom. Exactly seven minutes later, she had brushed her teeth, fixed her hair just lightly and thrown on a sweater to cover her baggy t-shirt.

Then locking the front door behind her, Elena sped into town and stopped about 20 feet away from the Grill in an alleyway - just so no one would see her arrive. The warm air blew in her face as she entered the restaurant and her eyes instantly met with the friendly blue pair behind the counter.

"Hey Matt," she greeted, seating herself on one of the stools in front of her friend.

"Hey," he returned, "it's nice to see you 'Lena. How're you doing?" He leaned over the counter slightly and grabbed Elena's hand, rubbing small circles in the familiar way Damon used to.

"I'm good." Elena smiled curtly and gently pulled her hand away from Matt's to brush a strand of hair away from her face. "What did you want to show me?" she asked, her curiosity evident in her voice.

"Oh yeah, here." Matt reached behind him and picked up a small piece of paper no bigger than a post-it note. He held it up in front of Elena and raised his eyebrows, motioning her to take it.

"What is it?" She warily grasped the note in her hands and brought it to her face.

_Busboy! I mean... Matt, _

_Every time Elena comes in and I'm not with her, I want you to remind her that I love her. I know it might sound stupid but... what can I say? Elena is the only girl I've ever truly loved and I want her to know that wherever she is, even if I'm not there to tell her myself... I'll always love her. No matter what anyone says. _

_If you do this, we're even for all the times you've screwed up. _

_Thanks,_

_Damon_

Elena breathed out a shaky breath and lowered her head, silent tears creating wet trails on her rosy cheeks. Why did she have to be reminded of _him _right when she was just barely getting a hold of her life again?

"When did he give you this?" she questioned Matt, sliding the note back across the counter as she wiped furiously at her eyes.

"He just... _left_ it one night." Matt shrugged. "I never got the chance to tell you about it since he pretty much followed you everywhere. But now that things have changed, I felt you needed to see it."

Elena sighed and nodded as a gesture of understanding. "Thank you Matt."

"No problem." He smiled warmly and turned to help the other customers waiting by the opposite end of the counter, leaving the note to lie and haunt Elena as she sat there glaring at it. She almost wished she had heat vision so she could burn it.

As Elena spun around, ready to head back home and curl up in her bed to cry herself to sleep, something caught her eye. She whirled back around and grabbed the note, holding it in her palm as she carefully re-read the words. She nearly missed the small detail on Damon's signature... but there it was. The 'D' was just barely slanted, and trailed out to a curl on the bottom of the letter. The 'D' on the other note Stefan gave her was plain and simple; no details, just straight.

"It can't be possible..." she whispered to herself, hope beginning to course through her veins. She stuffed the paper in her pocket and sprinted out the doors, a grin breaking out on her face as she ran as fast as she could to the boarding house. She couldn't care less if Stefan was there or not because she knew _exactly _what she needed to do.

Elena didn't waste a second when she arrived at the old family house where the younger Salvatore brother rested inside. She entered without knocking - which she never did anyway - and made a beeline for the stairs.

"Elena?" Stefan appeared around the corner, obviously roused from his sleep by her frantic entrance.

"Not now Stefan, something important has come up." She continued up the stairs and down the long hallway until she reached the large, wooden door where the man she learned to love usually slept. Upon walking in, she headed straight to the nightstand and opened the small drawer, her eyes immediately falling upon the crumpled piece of paper shoved in the corner. Elena remembered staying in this room all day, reading the note over and over until the words replayed in her head on their own.

She did her best to uncrumple the letter, before scanning through the words until she came to his name. Then she dug through her pocket to get the other note and held them up beside each other. She narrowed her eyes as she concentrated on anything that might catch her attention. Finally, she found what she had hoped for.

"They're different," she whispered. "They're different!" She jumped up and laughed, a sound no one had heard in over a month.

She whipped down the stairs and left the boarding house, not even bothering to say goodbye to Stefan. When she arrived back at her own home, she went inside, grabbed her keys and left without a single word to anyone. Hopping in her car, Elena started the engine and reversed out of the driveway before grabbing her phone and dialing Bonnie's number.

_"Elena, everything okay? It's late." _

"They're fake!" Elena exclaimed, unable to suppress the joy she felt in her heart. She had to find Damon and tell him how sorry she was and how much she loved him. He just had to know.

_"Woah, calm down." _Bonnie chuckled softly before she asked,_ "What's fake?" _

"The note! The one Stefan gave to me! It's a fake!"

_"How do you know? Elena don't get your hopes up for nothing."_

"I'm not getting my hopes up for nothing Bonnie! I could feel it... Something was wrong from the beginning and I didn't realize it until now. I don't have time to tell you what happened, but I'll call you as soon as I'm with Damon."

_"Okay, Elena," _Bonnie sighed._ "Just be careful, please?"_

"Don't worry, Bonnie. I'll be fine. Tell Care I'll talk to her soon." With that, Elena hung up and continued her journey to the cabin. She knew it would take her a while seeing as Damon had stopped halfway so they could rest, so she turned on the radio and cranked it loud, hoping the music would at least distract her from the swarming thoughts in her head.

"I'm coming Damon. I'm coming." She smiled brightly, her mood finally liftting after feeling so empty the past few weeks. She hoped Damon would still be at the cabin waiting for her... That's all she _could_ do. Hope.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The air was crisp and cool as the stony path came into view. Elena could see perfectly fine in the starry night but was still nervous to go inside. Damon's Camaro was parked exactly where she remembered, which meant Damon remained where she last saw him.

Elena rolled to a stop at the side of the dirt road and parked her car before climbing out. As she made her way to the cabin, she straightened her clothes and briefly brushed through her hair with her fingertips before freezing dead in her tracks, realizing she was already standing on the doorstep.

Taking a deep breath, Elena turned the knob, and ever-so-gently opened the door. What she saw shocked her beyond words could express. Furniture was flipped over, the table nearly snapped in half. It looked like a tornado whipped through the place!

"Damon?" she called, still not quite finding her voice. "Damon?"

She heard a mumble from somewhere close and her senses directed her to the kitchen where a half-drunk, wrecked vampire sat in a chair with a bottle of bourbon in his hand.

"Damon," Elena murmured, inching closer to him with soft steps before wrapping herself around him. "I'm here. I'm back."

A low, unexpected growl escaped his lips and he shoved her off of him as he stood up and stumbled into the living room. He took a swig of bourbon before he spun on his heels and glared furiously at Elena who stood not far from him.

"Why are you here?" he asked, clearly not in the mood for the lovey-dovey talk.

"I'm here for you!" Elena replied, taking one step closer.

"Oh really?" He scoffed. "Why don't you just spare me the lies and go back to your _boyfriend_?" He practically spat the last word before taking another swig of alcohol.

"What are you talking about Damon? _You're_ my boyfriend!"

"Just stop right there, okay? I get it. You pity me, you want to comfort me and then leave me when I'm all better so you can have your happily ever after with my brother... I've heard it all before Elena. Just leave." He turned his back to her, and waited. He waited for the running and slamming of the door, the part where she leaves and never comes back. But what he didn't expect was the two slender arms wrapping themselves around his waist, pulling him closer to them in a desperate attempt of getting his attention.

"Damon..." Elena breathed, sliding around his body until they were facing each other, "I am not leaving you. I am here, for _you_."

Damon made a small _hmph_ noise. "Tell that to your little note there." He pointed a finger at the piece of paper laying on the slanted table in the center of the room and Elena shuffled through the mess before picking the white paper up and reading through it.

"You think I wrote this?" she asked, stepping over the table and walking back towards Damon. She held it up in his face and pointed to her name. "You see that?" Her eyes shined in determination. "It's fake." She blurred into the kitchen and reappeared with a pen in her hand before swiftly writing her name beside the already-written signature.

"Look." She shoved the paper back in Damon's face and studied his eyes, waiting for some sort of indication that he realized it wasn't real. Only she didn't expect his next words.

"Pfft. Sure, Elena. If that's fake then I'm a werewolf." He broke eye contact with her and drank the last of the coppery liquid in his bottle before throwing it against the wall, making Elena flinch at the shattering of the glass.

"Damon, what's gotten into you? You know I love you!"

"You know what?" Blue and purple veins crawled to the surface of his face, enhancing the whites of his eyes that had now flushed into a bloody red. He growled as he bared his fangs to the girl he was stupid enough to believe loved him. "You do not get to stand here and tell me you love me," he said. "It's been a month, Elena. A _month _since I've read that note and tried to convince myself it wasn't real. You didn't call, you didn't come and see me, you didn't do _shit_. I tried calling you, but for some reason everyone's phones seem to be broken since no one ever answered and your phone is still lying on your nightstand anyway!"

"Then why didn't you come back to see me?" Elena cried, salty tears once again staining her angelic face in wet trails down to her chin. "I was miserable too you know! I stayed in your room for two weeks just crying myself to sleep! I missed you so much, Damon... You were the first thing on my mind when I woke up and the last when I went to bed." Her voice cracked on the last few words, and she fell to her knees, unable to keep herself up from the weight of her broken heart.

Damon stood there and watched the girl he loved hurt on the floor as he sorted through all his mixed thoughts and emotions. Nothing made sense anymore. If she loved him so much, why did she leave him? Why didn't she come back earlier and tell him everything would be okay? Could it be true - the note was fake? No... he'd read it over and over. That was Elena's handwriting, right?

Damon shook his head to get rid of the cluttering unanswered questions in his head and grabbed Elena by the arm before hoisting her over his shoulder and carrying her outside.

"I think it would be better if you just left. I need to be alone." With those words he shut the door, leaving the emotionally wrecked girl to once again sleep alone.

Elena stared at the closed door, her sobs broken for only a fraction of a minute. She dragged herself to Damon's car and just barely closed herself in before everything came crashing down on her. Why didn't he want to believe her? Why did she get her hopes up only to be let down again? Nothing felt right anymore and at that moment she wished she had stayed dead. Everyone's lives would've been so much easier without having her around.

Before she could pass out, Elena reached in her back pocket of her jeans and fished out the wrinkled note she received from Matt. She read it over once before placing it on the dashboard and letting the last few tears fall from her eyes as she was overcome by the lack of sleep.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Damon barely slept a blink as he lay in the cold bed pondering over life's complications. Deep down, he had already forgiven Elena. Hell he forgave her the minute she walked through the door. But the obstacle in his way of finding Elena and kissing her pain away was the large brick wall that was rebuilding itself around his heart. From the moment they met, Elena had managed to tear his walls piece by piece until his heart was shown bare for someone to grab. And as he fell deeply and madly in love with the girl who claimed his heart, he learned to trust, to comfort and most importantly, to love unconditionally. But now... after one month of feeling betrayal, anger and loss, the thought of moping around and brooding sounded much less appealing than simply shutting the emotions out. But the _real_ question was: should he forget every moment they ever had and move on, or should he man up and bring out the sledgehammer to demolish that wall for good?

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**A/N: So I changed the ending. It actually seems like an alternate ending to this chapter, but I like it better than the simple, "I forgive you. " Chapter 11 will be up soon because I pretty much know exactly how the chapter will be told. **

**Talk to you guys soon! **

**~Elsa xx **


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I'm a terrible person, I know. **

**So much has been going on and I haven't gotten a lot of time to just sit and think about how I'm going to write this chapter. When I thought about it at first, ideas seemed to come with ease but actually typing them out into sentences is a whole other thing. I'm so so so sorry for not posting this chapter sooner. My God it's been nearly two months since I've updated. Shame on me. **

**IMPORTANT: If you read chapter 10 when I first posted it, please go back and read the other half again. I've changed the ending completely and of course in order for this chapter to make sense, you need to be updated. ;) **

**Start reading at, "A month passed." **

**Thank you to those who've stuck around and are still reading! :* **

**Here is your new chapter. :) **

**xxxxxxxxxx**

Chapter 11:

**Damon's P.O.V. **

_And I'd give up forever to touch you  
__'Cause I know that you feel me somehow  
__You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be  
__And I don't want to go home right now_

_And all I can taste is this moment  
__And all I can breathe is your life  
__'Cause sooner or later it's over  
__I just don't want to miss you tonight_

_And I don't want the world to see me  
__'Cause I don't think that they'd understand  
__When everything's made to be broken  
__I just want you to know who I am_

Ugh. Where's the stupid music coming from?

Grumbling, I rolled off the bed and let my feet land unceremoniously on the cool floor as I staggered to the living room. My head was pounding after yet another night of drinking, but I somehow steadied myself to see clearly enough as my eyes roamed over the flipped furniture, broken glass and that dreaded note lying folded on the floor. A small, black device finally caught my eye in the corner of the room and I shuffled over to check if it was the cause of my disturbance in peace. Then I realized it was on silent and my ringtone wasn't even close to _Iris_.

_Stupid phone. _

I mumbled incoherent thoughts and simply decided to give up on the pointless quest of finding the source of the music. As long as it didn't continue or get any louder, I wouldn't be forced to hunt for something to take my frustration out on. Maybe... a camper or two? Delicious.

I smirked to myself and moved to retreat back to the bedroom, a long nap sounding rather appealing to my physical appearance.

_Sniff. _

My head shot up and I froze in my tracks. What was _that_?

_Sniff. _

...Screw napping.

I spun on my heels and stalked to the front door, swinging it open as I trudged outside, somehow knowing the sound wasn't coming from anywhere _inside _the cabin. I had no doubt I knew who was making that noise and I was determined to find out exactly where _she_ was.

The first thing that came into view was my Camaro. No car, bike, plane, or any other variation of transportation was parked where I could see it. So she couldn't be there.

I began searching through the surrounding woods. She wasn't in any of the places we went together, and she wasn't by that little spot where I'd set up the romantic picnic. So I took a shortcut back to the cabin and started looking by the beach, down the road (where I found her car but no person in it), and finally back where my own car was parked. There was no sign of her anywhere.

"I really am going bonkers..." I muttered to myself as I raked a hand through my ruffled hair. I turned my back to the Chevy and made my way up the path when I heard her voice.

"Damon..."

I halted mid-step. My eyes were frozen, fixed on the cabin door in front of me, afraid to glance behind my shoulder. I let my foot drop soundlessly before swallowing a heavy gulp of saliva as I felt myself slowly turn around. I expected to be met with the torturing eyes of the girl I loved boring holes into mine... but I only found the same as before: a car, grass, rocks... silence.

"Okay... now I'm losing it." I mentally scolded myself and waved everything away with a motion of my hand before taking two more steps closer to the cabin.

"Mmm... Damon..."

I whirled around. My feet moved on their own accord, guiding me over the rocks and grass until I stopped in front of something that thoroughly confused me. I stiffly stood staring at my blue, 1967 Chevy Camaro as I tried coming up with a reason as to why my ears led me there.

That's when I saw her.

_Elena._

My sleeping (_girlfriend?_) was curled up in a ball, her face nestled in a spare jacket I'd kept in the back seat, with tear stains and puffy cheeks standing out like a hooker in a buisness meeting.

She must've been dreaming about me, that's why I heard her talking. _My Elena was dreaming about me... _(And some idiot had been trying to reach her.)

Just as my hand neared the old handle on the car door, the memories from the past month came flooding in. That awful morning when I woke up to find the once-occupied side of the bed empty, only to find a note by the door when I went to look for her. The feelings of rage and deeply dug sadness in my non-beating heart as I read the words over and over, convincing myself I was having a nightmare, that nothing was real. Then to finally accepting everything and knowing she belonged with my shit-for-brained brother. All the nights I spent drinking my sorrows away and then waking up the next morning with a hangover sent straight from Hell... The visit. How she came to me, poured her heart out and told me she loved me. Then the way her eyes watered and dropped as I rejected her and crushed her hopes of forgiveness. The way I spat her name as if every letter stung to pronounce... It all surrounded me; every last moment.

And the wall shattered.

For the first time in what felt like eternity, I felt the burn. My throat felt hot and tight as the salty tears invaded the brims of my eyelids. I tried swallowing it back, tried calming my breathing, but nothing worked. Nothing stopped those wretched drops from spilling over the edge and drawing wet tracks down my cheeks until they attached themselves to my chin, afraid to fall that extra distance to the ground.

I was too caught up in my own emotional meltdown, I was oblivious to the girl watching me from her curled-up position in my front seat, so shocked by my state of vulnerability she couldn't muster the strength to speak up. I nearly caught her, but I was too busy wiping the stupid tears from my face to notice her snuggle closer to my jacket, as if telling me she'd already forgiven me.

I ran both hands over my face once more to calm the wave of emotions before I gently opened the car door and lifted Elena into my arms. All the anger and guilt vanished when she immediately melted into my embrace. Her little fists clutched my shirt to hold me closer and I felt a strange but genuine smile paint its way across my lips.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

There was absolutely nothing stopping me from hopping in that bed to spoon the shit out of that girl I put in there, but I just knew if she woke up, she wouldn't be prepared for my being so close. It wasn't the right time to forget everything that happened and move forward. We needed to talk things out, share our... _thoughts _and _emotions_ like "normal people" would...

_I sound like such a wimp._

I was frustrated. Seriously frustrated.

What happened to the badass me who couldn't care less about other people's feelings and well-beings? Did he just pack up and decide to leave for good?

_No you idiot, he fell in love. _

Oh yeah, _right_...

See in the beginning when I found that note, I was livid. I tore through furniture like tissue paper and had to run through the woods a number of times just to calm myself down. But nothing really worked as I still came back to an empty cabin every time. I kept thinking it was all a really long nightmare and karma was punishing me for some stupid thing I did in the past... But I soon came to realize I wasn't dreaming. It was reality; my realilty. So, after cursing the very existence of love and drowning my system in alcohol I had stashed in a cupboard, I was fully prepared to simply accept the fact that I would never be happy.

But shit happens.

When Elena came back, my mind fell off course because it was on a one-track focus plan to hate everything and everyone and go back to being a self-serving psychopath with no redeeming qualities... But everything all of a sudden started mending itself together just by being in Elena's presence, so I had to do something to keep myself appearing intact. I put the wall back up. It felt logical at the time, but it granted me little-to-no peace when I attempted sleeping after throwing Elena out the door. It caused me to do some serious thinking.

Was it really worth it? Was being a jerk worth letting the only girl I've ever loved go? Would it be worth it to watch her find someone else to take away her pain and have fun with?

The answer was simple... No. I brought out that goddamn sledgehammer and demolished the wall. There was no need to keep myself hidden from Elena when all I _wanted_ was her.

So how was I going to explain everything to her? When I heard the music earlier, I was trying to come up with some sort of plan to run after her and tell her everything. Just spit every detail out on the plate and let her soak it all in. But after my unsuccessful mission of finding the source of the interruption, I knew I needed a nice, long nap. I needed to be focused. Plus there was no way I'd go see my girl looking like a freaking hobo. Uh-uh.

But that's when I heard her sniffle... and found her sleeping in my front seat. Everything I was trying to keep in control just suddenly broke loose and I couldn't hold anything in. After fighting myself for so long and seeing her in that state again, it crushed me.

I, Damon Salvatore, admit I was crushed because I hurt a girl's feelings.

So after bringing her in, I tucked her in, gave her a kiss, and left her alone. The only thing left to do, was clean the disaster that was the living room... and maybe take a shower to wash off the stink all over me.

Anything that was completely destroyed, I threw in the fireplace. Anything that was fixable, was placed gently where it originally stood. And as I stepped back, looking over my work, I admitted it looked pretty much exactly how it did _before_ it got ruined. There were only a few empty spaces here and there.

I nodded in satisfaction of my work and turned to walk down the hallway when I stepped on something. A paper.

I picked it up, smoothing the wrinkles out before I recognized the words with a grimace. It was the note I found by the doorstep, the words that still hit me too close for comfort. _Stupid thing's haunting me._

I crumpled the paper in my hand, reveling in the feel of the material mushing into nothing. I skillfully aimed for the fireplace and threw it in, watching almost in slow motion as it landed directly in the flames, engulfed and disintegrated within a matter of seconds. It left me with a feeling of peace and I welcomed it, inhaling a long steady breath before I made my way to the bathroom.

Warm water sprayed and clothes were shed as I scrubbed my body of the smell of alcohol and washed the grease from my hair. After stepping out, I tightly wrapped a towel around my waist and opened the door, immediately met with the cool gust of air from outside the steamy bathroom. I could still feel the weight of exhaustion tugging on every move of a limb, but with the help of a few blood bags I only felt just faintly sluggish.

I slipped into the bedroom quickly to retrieve clothing before I disappeared back into the bathroom to dress myself and brush my teeth.

_And I'd give up forever to touch you  
__'Cause I know that you feel me somehow  
__You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be  
__And I don't want to go home right now_

The music was playing again... This time from somewhere close.

My ears led me back to the bedroom, and I crept closer to the sleeping figure in bed as I zeroed in on the sound. It was coming from underneath the covers. _But Elena didn't bring her phone. It's been here since before she left, so it can't be hers... can it? _

Well I don't know, brain. The noise is coming from her so whose phone would it be otherwise?

_Myabe it's a spare or borrowed?_

That's better. Logical thinking.

I gently lifted the covers back, noticing right away how Elena tucked her legs in closer to herself from the loss of warmth. And I smiled. I always loved how human she acted... even after everything.

When I was done admiring her beauty, I finally spotted the cellular device sticking out from her back pocket, and I tugged it loose before vanishing into the kitchen. Clicking the 'Answer' button, I held the phone up to my ear, not knowing who was on the other end, as I hadn't checked the caller ID before picking up.

"Elena's phone." I smirked as I remembered the same words being spoken on our road trip to Georgia.

_"Damon?" _

Of course. Stefan. _Wonderful._

"Brother, how nice of you to call," I bit out sarcastically.

_"Is Elena okay? Where is she, I want to talk to her."_

"Woah, hold your horses there Steffie. Elena's fine. And why do you care anyways? It's not like you put that into much consideration when you stalked and hurt her or anything."

_"Things have changed, brother."_ I could hear the emptiness crawl back into his voice._ "Now give her the phone. Don't force me to come back there and get her myself." _

"There will be no need for that," I replied. "Besides, she's sleeping. There will be plenty of time for you two to talk when she wakes up."

_"Fine. Tell her to call me as soon as possible." _

"Okay, _dad_. Understood. You have a good day now, hm? Buh-bye." I reached for the 'End Call' when Stefan's last words rang in my ears.

_"How did it feel Damon? How did it feel to have your girl stolen by your own brother? You may have gotten her back now, but it won't last long. Just watch your back, and expect the unexpected." _

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

After Mr. Creepy spoke his oh-so-poetic riddle, I had absolutely no idea what to do with myself. Elena could wake up any minute, so how did one approach a broken-hearted girl? It was definitely easier said than done. I was pacing the living room floor, my forefinger and thumb held to my chin, when her voice rang in my ears.

"Damon?"

_Crap._

I stared, not moving an inch as she walked towards me. My eyes followed her thin-looking form and her baggy clothing, along with skin that seemed almost pale - details I had missed the night before. Had I caused all this?

She stopped just a few inches from my body and I watched as her chocolate-brown eyes slithered up from my feet to my face, a faint look of wonder crossing her features before she threw her arms around me and nuzzled her face in the crook of my neck. I shivered when I felt her warm breath tickle my skin and I wove my fingers through her brown locks, a soft moan escaping my lips as the familiarity of her touch came rushing back.

"I've missed this so much," she whispered, tightening her grip around me.

I drew back slightly. "I've missed _you_." I flashed her my signature smirk and my heart swelled when her eyes lit up, the emotion of happiness finally making an appearance.

"Are you okay?" she asked after a moment of silence. I felt one of her hands brush my neck and glide through my hair, another familiar feeling that left me nearly purring.

"I'm okay," I replied softly, "but we don't need to dig up the past when we can cherish the present."

"But what about the note?" Her eyes dropped, averting her gaze from mine. "I mean you didn't believe me last night about it being fake and I don't know how to possibly explain to you how sorry I a-" I silenced her with my finger, letting her next words linger in her mind.

"Don't ruin it. I don't care about the note. I don't care what it said. All I care about, right now..." I gazed deeply in her eyes with all seriousness as I spoke, "is this."

I pressed my lips to hers, feeling the instant sparks and passion between us crackle with life. She eagerly responded, wrapping her thighs around my waist as she ran her tongue across my bottom lip, nipping just slightly. It made my head spin, and I carried her to our bedroom, sprawling her out as her back hit the sheets. I could see the look in her eyes - love, lust, want, need. I nearly missed the hurt, but it was still there - faint but still existing. Then I knew I had to stop my actions before they became too heated to break. It wasn't right to jump into things after we've both been through a helluva month.

I reluctantly pulled away from her feverish kisses, and cupped her face gently as the look of bewilderment flashed in her eyes. "We can't do this," I told her. "Not yet."

"What? Did I do something wrong?" I shook my head as I helped her sit up, legs still securely locked around me. I brushed my fingers through her tousled hair, keeping silent until she spoke again. "I don't understand, Damon. You said you didn't care about what happened."

"I don't," I answered quickly. "Well... not really. I just don't think this is a good idea at the moment. We've both suffered enough this past month and I would hate for us to jump into somethng and then get right back into a fight about the past. Unfortunately we need to talk about this."

Elena met my glacier stare with her chocolate and I could see the small remnants of pain hidden within them as she went through the not-so-happy memories. "Okay," she sighed, dropping her hands into her lap as she laid her head on my shoulder. "So what do we do?"

"We talk. Simple as that."

"But where do we begin?" she murmured, shuffling closer in to my neck. I could tell this was a touchy subject, so I approached the situation with probably the _worst_ question I could ask.

"How did we end up here?"

Elena moved away from my shoulder and placed her hands on both sides of my face, an unexpected look of determination shown on her features as she shakily inhaled a breath before saying, "Damon... I need to tell you something."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**A/N: What do you think she's going to say? Tell me your guesses! **

**Until next time! :* **

**~Elsa xx**


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